Crackdown strengthened on Propofol abuse

By Yun Suh-young

Law enforcement agencies are taking action following increasing cases of the misuse and abuse of Propofol, an anesthetic, following a reported increase in the number of cases.

The Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office launched a wide-scale inspection Wednesday of doctors who illegally distribute and patients who inject the psychotropic drug. On Friday, it took five people including a doctor, an assistant nurse and other hospital officials into custody for violating the narcotics law. They had stolen the drugs from hospitals and distributed them illegally.

According to investigators, the assistant nurse, known as “needle woman,” traveled around motels and residential office buildings in southern Seoul and secretly injected those who paid for the drug.

It is usually sold for 100,000 to 200,000 won per bottle and requires a medical professional to inject the drug through an intravenous drip.

However, as the drug is used for limited purposes, such as sleep inducement or anesthesia, there is a surplus at the hospitals.

Taking advantage of this, many hospital officials have illegally sold the narcotic.

According to a report submitted to the National Assembly by lawmaker Choi Dong-ik, Sunday, 89 percent of clinics that used Propofol did not have a certified anesthesiologist to administer the drug.

The prosecution has conducted an investigation into the illegal distribution of the drug since 2010. At that time, they focused their efforts on plastic surgeons and celebrities and businessmen who visited those clinics.

The prosecutors’ office resumed its probe this month following recent reports of fatalities caused by abuse of the drug.

In September, a dermatologist in her 40s was found dead in her home and the cause of death was rumored to be due to Propofol.

According to testimonies of her acquaintances, the deceased had a history of injecting herself with the drug whenever she was fatigued.

Used needles were found next to her corpse on Sept 17. It was later confirmed by The National Forensic Service that she died from using the drug.

Recently, a Propofol user testified on a CBS radio program that she had spent around 600 million won over the past five years on Propofol injections. The person who requested anonymity told the host of the show that she received injections every five days.

“I couldn’t sleep until I had an injection. I kept waiting for the appointment day to come,” she said. “After waking up from the injection, I felt unusually happy and very confident. This made me want to fall asleep with the drug constantly.”

She kept switching hospitals to satisfy her addiction and no doctor ever turned down her request nor admonished her over her dependency on the drug.

“I think the hospitals only care about money. They only take cash. They don’t really care about the health of patients,” she said. “They should try to regulate the usage or stop people from receiving the injections if they find them addicted.”

The drug, which is used to anesthetize plastic surgery or endoscopy patients, can cause hallucinations, respiratory problems, low blood pressure, cramps and nausea.

The cause of Michael Jackson’s death was also attributed to the overuse of this drug.