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Justice ministry to work with anti-drug centers
PREVENTION:
A clean needle pilot program that was begun last year has helped cut HIV/AIDS infection rates, and will be expanded this month
CNA, TAIPEI
Tuesday, Jul 25, 2006, Page 3
Minister of Justice Morley Shih (施茂林) said yesterday that his ministry would work closely with drug prevention centers around the country in an attempt to control the growth in the number of drug addicts.
Shih made the remarks while attending a ceremony to mark the launch of a drug prevention center under the Tainan County Bureau of Health.
Shih said that more than half of the around 62,000 inmates in nearly 50 penitentiaries nationwide were drug addicts.
Major crimes in recent years were "more or less" related to drugs, Shih added.
The minister said that the recidivism rate among drug addicts was high and police have difficulty preventing them from repeat offenses.
He noted that the government started a pilot program in Taipei City and in Taipei, Taoyuan and Tainan counties last year treating drug addicts as patients rather than criminals.
The drug addicts are given clean needles and alternative drugs to help them overcome their addictions.
He said that the program had achieved good results in Tainan County, reducing the HIV/AIDS infection rate by 50 percent.
As such, the drug prevention centers would be expanded to other cities and counties starting this month, he said.
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