The National Bureau of Controlled Drugs and the Criminal Investiga-tion Bureau said yesterday that the use of club drugs in Taiwan was on the rise and the number of abusers may have been underestimated.
According to government statistics, amphetamines, heroin and marijuana remain the most frequently used drugs.
The drug control bureau yesterday revealed that of the 2,944 drug-abuse cases prosecuted between September last year and February, 61.7 percent of individuals tested were found to be using amphetamines. Club drugs such as benzodiazepines (including FM2) accounted for 12.9 percent of the total and 1.2 percent tested positive for MDMA, or ecstacy.
While amphetamines have remained among the most popular drugs in Taiwan since 1990, both bureaus warned that club-drug abuse is on the rise, especially in metropolitan areas, based on police investigation and research.
In Taiwan, amphetamines are not categorized as a club drug because they are rarely found in local clubs, said Li Jih-heng (李志恆), director of the drug control bureau.
MDMA, which is a stimulant and mild hallucinogen frequently used by young people to dance for long durations, is the most prevalent club drug in Taiwan, according to the criminal investigation bureau and Li.
Benzodiazepine is widely prescribed for stress reduction and as a sleeping tablet for insomnia to promote relaxation for short periods of time. Rohypnols, also known as the date-rape drug, is a member of this class.
Chiu Nien-hsing (
"It is difficult to find evidence of drug abuse in pubs and night clubs," Chiu said. "People always dump the drugs they have on the floor as soon as police show up."
He added, "besides, we cannot request urine tests unless there is enough evidence to show that a club-goer is suspected of drug abuse."
Lee and Chiu pointed out that drug abuse happens mostly among those aged between 18 to 30. Li said most club drugs that can be found in other countries can also be obtained in Taiwan.
"Modern transportation and communication has simultaneously created the same drug abuse problems other countries are facing," he said.
Some drugs were introduced to the country by overseas Taiwanese students. The first MDMA abuser confirmed by the authorities six years ago was a young Taiwanese student returning from abroad, Li recalled.
The health department yesterday warned young adults to avoid club drugs during summer vacation. But Chiu said that it would be wrong to think that club drugs were only abused during vacation time.
"Students who try drugs can pass the information on to their peers," he said. "Drug abuse is especially likely when classes begin after vacation and youths try them together at private parties."
Amphetamines, which are regarded as club drugs in other countries, are for the most part smuggled from China. Local residents seldom risk producing the drug in Taiwan following the intensive crackdown that began in 1993.
Heroin is smuggled to Taiwan from Thailand and China.
Chiu noted that in the past marijuana was mostly brought into the country by mail or parcel and its use is frequent in pubs and places where foreigners gather.
"Some foreigners smoke marijuana as a habit because some countries do not consider cannabis a drug," Chiu said. "But we have found that local production with seeds smuggled into the country has spread over the past few years. Some people even grow it on their balconies."
A crackdown in March by authorities discovered a large crop of 3,000 cannabis and opium plants in Miaoli. The haul was the largest Taiwan had seen in years.
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