Will Cocaine Save Daegu’s Young People from Parkinson’s Disease?

Daegu now holds a strange new title: Korea’s cocaine capital. Yes, you read that right. According to a national wastewater analysis, the city beat out even Seoul for cocaine traces in its sewage. But before anyone starts popping champagne corks over their city’s new party image, there’s a darker current running just beneath the surface.

Because while Daegu may currently be riding the white wave of cocaine, it is methamphetamine, not cocaine, that could shape the city’s neurological future.

Let’s talk about Parkinson’s.

Parkinson’s is a slow, grinding disease, usually tied to old age. But in Korea, it’s hitting younger people too. In 2022 alone, 870 people under 50 were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, including 10 boys under 19, and over 230 men in their 20s and 30s. Daegu recorded 7,140 diagnosed cases that year, the fourth highest in the country, and nearly 2,000 more than in 2016.

And here’s the twist.

The region of the brain most affected in Parkinson’s is the substantia nigra, which just happens to be the same region that methamphetamine loves to destroy. It serves two vital functions: it produces dopamine, which allows us to experience pleasure, and it regulates body movement. Unfortunately, it's also highly vulnerable to chemical assault. Methamphetamine, Korea’s most abused illicit drug, is a highly toxic blend of industrial chemicals, never intended for human consumption.

When methamphetamine enters the system, it puts enormous strain on the substantia nigra to release large amounts of dopamine for the expected euphoric high. To prolong that high, it then blocks dopamine reuptake, meaning that dopamine is lost, not recycled. Over time, the brain becomes drained and damaged, leaving users vulnerable to depression and motor dysfunction. Do that often enough, and the system breaks down permanently.

Cocaine works a little differently. It doesn’t force the brain to release dopamine, but like meth, it prevents reuptake, leading to a similar loss of dopamine and, by extension, an increased risk of depression. Both methamphetamine and cocaine are linked to depression, suicidal ideation, and long-term neurological harm.

So while I make no suggestion that Parkinson’s patients have used illegal drugs, I am saying this:

A city with rising methamphetamine use is a city setting the stage for a Parkinson’s crisis.

And meth is already here.

In a 2023 bust, Daegu police dismantled a major drug trafficking ring, seizing methamphetamine, ketamine, and synthetic marijuana, with an estimated street value of ₩2,346,000,000. The meth alone amounted to around 27,000 doses, enough to keep a hidden user base buzzing for months.

We should commend the Daegu police for that operation. It was professional, thorough, and undoubtedly prevented enormous harm.

But let’s be clear: if that’s what got caught, how much is getting through unseen?

Sewage studies may show cocaine in higher quantities, but meth is quieter, cheaper, and often more locally distributed. It may not yet be visible in wastewater sampling due to fewer users, or perhaps it’s just being used in smaller, more concealed clusters. That can change. Fast.

“Sewage doesn’t lie, but it doesn’t see the future either.”

Today’s cocaine might just be the smokescreen. Tomorrow, meth could leave Daegu with something far worse than a party reputation. It could leave it with a generation of young men whose bodies shake before they hit 40.

So, will cocaine save Daegu’s young people from Parkinson’s?

Not likely. But meth might finish the job.

Anthony Hegarty MSc

The Korean version of this article appeared in the Maeil Shinbun Newspaper (print edition) on 12th June 2025...

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