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.
STAY AWAY: An official said people should avoid disturbing snakes, as most do not actively attack humans, but would react defensively if threatened Taitung County authorities yesterday urged the public to stay vigilant and avoid disturbing snakes in the wild, following five reported snakebite cases in the county so far this year. Taitung County Fire Department secretary Lin Chien-cheng (林建誠) said two of the cases were in Donghe Township (東河) and involved the Taiwan habus, one person was bit by a Chinese pit viper near the South Link Railway and the remaining two were caused by unidentified snakes. He advised residents near fields to be cautious of snakes hiding in shady indoor areas, especially when entering or leaving their homes at night. In case of a
A tropical disturbance off the southeastern coast of the Philippines might become the first typhoon of the western Pacific typhoon season, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The system lacks a visible center and how it would develop is only likely to become clear on Sunday or Monday, the CWA said, adding that it was not yet possible to forecast the potential typhoon's effect on Taiwan. The American Meteorological Society defines a tropical disturbance as a system made up of showers and thunderstorms that lasts for at least 24 hours and does not have closed wind circulation.
ENERGY RESILIENCE: Although Alaska is open for investments, Taiwan is sourcing its gas from the Middle East, and the sea routes carry risks, Ho Cheng-hui said US government officials’ high-profile reception of a Taiwanese representative at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference indicated the emergence of an Indo-Pacific energy resilience alliance, an academic said. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) attended the conference in Alaska on Thursday last week at the invitation of the US government. Pan visited oil and gas facilities with senior US officials, including US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and US Senator Daniel Sullivan. Pan attending the conference on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) shows a significant elevation in diplomatic representation,
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
RSS