The use of illicit drugs in the nation is now most prevalent among people in their 20s and represents a growing concern because of the impact it could have on productivity, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official said.
People aged 24 to 29 have replaced those aged 30 to 39 as the age group with the highest prevalence of drug use, a trend that first started in 2015, Division of Controlled Drugs director Tsay Wen-ing (蔡文瑛) said at an anti-drug campaign conference on Tuesday.
That trend is reflected in hospital data on reported incidences of illicit drug use from 2013 to last year, which showed that people in their 20s, at 43.9 percent, were the most common first-time users, followed by those aged 19 or under at 26.4 percent and those in their 30s at 21.1 percent.
The increasing prevalence of young people experimenting with drugs is a mounting concern for the government, especially since the 24-to-29 bracket is the backbone of the nation’s economic productivity, Tsay said.
Drug use affects not only one’s health, but also increases workplace accidents and poses a threat to productivity, she said.
The most commonly abused drugs are Class B drugs, with methamphetamine being the most widely consumed, she said.
Use of these Class B drugs can result in hallucinations that threaten users’ lives, she added.
The agency has begun to mobilize resources to raise awareness of drug use and prevention and, as of last year, it had received the support of 80 businesses that have promoted anti-drug campaigns, she said.
These efforts to combat drug use are a reaction to a 2014 survey conducted among nearly 20,000 Taiwanese aged 12 to 64, which found that 1.29 percent of respondents had used illicit drugs.
Based on the survey, the division projects that about 230,000 people in the nation have used illicit drugs, with 55.7 percent of users claiming friends or colleagues as the sources of the drugs.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost