South Korea warns of teen drug abuse through e-cigarettes

April 16 (Asia Today) -- Teen drug abuse in South Korea is increasingly shifting to e-cigarettes, as traffickers use vaping devices and refill liquids to disguise narcotics and target minors with products that can look and smell like ordinary vape cartridges.

Authorities and experts warn that the trend is making drug use easier to hide and easier for teenagers to approach, because vaping already carries a lower psychological barrier for many adolescents than conventional cigarettes.

In one case cited by Asia Today, a 17-year-old high school student in Seoul said she first encountered synthetic cannabis after meeting an adult man through a dating app. He allegedly offered her a "tasty liquid" to smoke and handed her an e-cigarette during a late-night drive, describing it as something that would trigger a rush of dopamine. The teenager later realized it was her first exposure to an illegal drug.

The case reflects growing concern that drug distribution methods are becoming more sophisticated and are spreading deeper into youth culture. E-cigarettes, already widely accessible to minors, are emerging as a leading delivery method for narcotics among teenagers, according to the report.

Data from the Supreme Prosecutors Office showed 132 drug offenders age 19 or younger had been recorded as of February, up 55% from 85 a year earlier, according to Asia Today. The annual number of juvenile drug offenders rose from 313 in 2020 to 1,477 in 2023 before falling to 649 in 2024 after a crackdown on trafficking through cryptocurrency and social media. The figure then rose again to 674 last year, suggesting that new distribution methods are taking hold.

Among them, e-cigarette-based drug products have become increasingly prominent. According to the National Forensic Service, seizures of drug-laced e-cigarettes and liquid narcotics rose from 1,870 cases in 2022 to 3,713 in 2023 and 5,378 in 2024, Asia Today reported.

The report said an e-cigarette in such cases refers to a cartridge containing liquid for inhalation, while liquid-type products refer to separately stored refill substances. Among teenage suspects in 2024, e-cigarettes and liquid-type narcotics accounted for 146 of 506 drug seizure cases, more than powdered drugs at 122 and syringes at 38.

That shift suggests vaping has become a central vehicle for youth drug crime.

One reason is accessibility. Teenagers can use vaping devices to mix and inhale liquids as long as they have the hardware. Yet e-cigarette devices and many related liquids remain easily available through unmanned stores and online sellers, often with weak or inconsistent age checks, according to the report.

That has made e-cigarettes easier for many teenagers to obtain than traditional cigarettes, while also lowering the psychological threshold for trying substances delivered in similar form. Authorities are also concerned that drug crimes involving vape liquids may be harder to detect than conventional powdered narcotics, raising the risk of a larger hidden market.

The article said traffickers are also exploiting adolescent curiosity and immaturity. In one 2023 case in Suwon, four drug offenders who had bought synthetic cannabis were caught after allegedly conspiring to sell it to six minors while falsely presenting it as ordinary e-cigarette liquid. Investigators said the suspects planned to let the teenagers try it for free first and then profit from addiction.

The National Forensic Service said synthetic cannabis and similar substances resemble nicotine vaping products in appearance, allowing abuse to spread along the same lines as teenage curiosity about smoking. The agency added that the products can be inhaled without the distinctive smoke or odor associated with drugs such as marijuana, making them easier to conceal from parents and law enforcement, according to Asia Today.

The government is set to begin enforcing a revised Tobacco Business Act on April 24 that classifies synthetic nicotine liquid e-cigarettes as tobacco, subjecting them to the same rules that apply to conventional cigarettes. Those rules include health warnings, advertising limits and smoke-free area restrictions, according to the South Korean government.

But the article said the amendment does not directly regulate the electronic devices themselves or other solvents that can be used as drug-delivery tools. Critics say that leaves teenagers able to obtain the hardware with little difficulty and may even push purchases of suspicious liquids into underground markets.

Song Ki-min, identified by Asia Today as a professor of public health at Hanyang University, said the government should raise the barrier to e-cigarette use itself among adolescents through broader measures such as higher prices and tighter sales controls. Yoon Heung-hee, a professor in addiction-related counseling at Namseoul University, said teenage drug use can still be prevented early because long-term abuse rates among adolescents remain relatively low. Namseoul University identifies Yoon as a professor whose research includes narcotics, drug addiction and narcotics policy.

He said schools and other institutions should provide specialized education to build stronger psychological resistance to drugs before experimentation begins.

-- Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260415010004777

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This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 12:11 PM.