The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) said it would launch more antidrug programs and other educational activities in schools amid a spate of homicides and other crimes allegedly committed by people under the influence of illegal drugs.
Statistics released by the ministry on Sunday last week showed that law enforcement authorities confiscated 4,339.5kg of illegal recreational drugs last year, setting a new record. Of that cache, 3,000kg was ketamine from China — also a record-high for drugs smuggled across the Taiwan Strait.
A female college student surnamed Huang (黃), 22, died in a New Taipei City motel room on Sunday last week after drinking alcohol and taking ecstasy during a birthday party with friends.
Her friends told police that Huang had occasionally taken ecstasy and ketamine over the past year, with the drugs supplied by drug pushers at Taipei nightclubs.
In another case in New Taipei City, a 32-year-old man surnamed Lu (盧) was found dead in his Banciao District (板橋) apartment on Tuesday last week after his friends said he had taken ecstasy and ketamine at a party.
In Kaohsiung, a 20-year-old man surnamed Lee (李) allegedly killed his grandparents with a meat cleaver then set the house on fire on March 27 after taking ketamine.
A teenage girl was allegedly stabbed to death on March 15 by her 25-year-old boyfriend, surnamed Chang (張), who said he had hallucinated after smoking a cigarette laced with ketamine and drinking ecstasy-laced coffee.
Some government officials and legislators have called for a crackdown on illegal drugs and for ketamine to be upgraded from a category 3 narcotic to a category 2 one, which would increase restrictions on its use and toughen punishments for its misuse.
Under the Narcotic Drugs Hazard Control Act (毒品危害防治條例), category 1 drugs include heroin, morphine, opium, cocaine and their byproducts, while category 2 drugs include marijuana and amphetamines.
Officials and legislators said ketamine has become a favorite recreational drug among young people and students.
Deputy Minister of Justice Chen Ming-tang (陳明堂) said the ministry has convened panels of legal experts and academics to deliberate the issue and they have recommended not altering ketamine’s status.
“Experts said ketamine is not as addictive as category 1 and 2 drugs, and jailing users might not have the desired deterrent effect,” Chen said.
Ketamine is seen as a “cheap drug,” leading students and other young people to try it due to curiosity and peer pressure, he said.
Chen said the ministry would work with other agencies to carry out drug awareness programs in secondary schools and universities.
Chen said that the legislature passed amendments to the Narcotic Drugs Hazard Control Act in January that increased punishments for manufacturing and trafficking ketamine, along with other category 3 and 4 drugs.
“The aim was to stem drug abuse, and we are sure it can achieve the desired effects,” Chen said.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
REWRITING HISTORY: China has been advocating a ‘correct’ interpretation of the victory over Japan that brings the CCP’s contributions to the forefront, an expert said An elderly Chinese war veteran’s shin still bears the mark of a bullet wound he sustained when fighting the Japanese as a teenager, a year before the end of World War II. Eighty years on, Li Jinshui’s scar remains as testimony to the bravery of Chinese troops in a conflict that killed millions of their people. However, the story behind China’s overthrow of the brutal Japanese occupation is deeply contested. Historians broadly agree that credit for victory lies primarily with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-led Republic of China (ROC) Army. Its leader, Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a
RSS