Lawmaker introduces bill to curb teen drug overdose trend

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker So Byeong-hun, who represents Gwangju-gap in Gyeonggi Province, said Friday he has introduced a bill to tighten oversight of over-the-counter drugs prone to misuse, in response to a growing trend of drug overdoses among teenagers.

So said a practice known as "OD hallucination play" — in which teenagers consume large quantities of common OTC medications such as cold remedies, painkillers and cough syrups — has been spreading among young people. The surge in impulsive drug misuse has led to a rising number of emergency room admissions, poisoning cases and serious health complications.

Current law lacks provisions on quantity limits, age restrictions or purchase history tracking for OTC drugs, and counseling by pharmacists is left to their discretion, leaving a gap in effective prevention, So said.

The proposed amendment would require pharmacists to provide mandatory medication counseling for OTC drugs designated by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety as high-risk for misuse, and would prohibit sales to minors in excess of recommended dosages. It would also require sellers to verify buyers' personal information and record the date, product and quantity of each sale, with the aim of preventing repeated bulk purchases by the same individual.

"Because over-the-counter drugs are accessible without a prescription, indiscriminate overdosing by teenagers has become a serious social risk," So said. "This amendment seeks to establish minimum safeguards for medications with a high risk of misuse. We will do our utmost to strengthen the institutional protection system and safeguard public health."