New York Times: Prof. Hahm Critiques South Korea’s War on Drugs Following Death of Parasite Actor Lee Sun-kyun
Due to an uptick in celebrity drug arrests and the alleged suicide of actor Lee Sun-kyun, treatment experts are calling for a change in South Korea’s harsh anti-drug policies. Prof. Hyeouk Chris Hahm from BU School of Social Work spoke to The New York Times about the historically ineffectual “war on drugs” and how South Korea can change its approach from punishment to rehabilitation.
Excerpt from “Death of ‘Parasite’ Star Highlights South Korea’s Crackdown on Drugs” by John Yoon:
“The country’s latest crackdown, and the rhetoric of Mr. Yoon and officials in his administration, have echoed the ‘war on drugs’ of the 1970s and ’80s in the United States, said Hyeouk Chris Hahm, a professor at the Boston University School of Social Work.
“Cracking down with these harsh punishments and unreasonably long years of imprisonment is not going to be effective in reducing drug use and overdose deaths,’ Professor Hahm said. ‘And we know that from the history of the U.S.’”