Several popular Internet celebrities have recently got into trouble for possession and use of cannabis. All or most of them enjoy significant social prestige and high incomes, and, thanks to the ever-growing popularity of social media, have a deep and wide-reaching effect on society.
Since Bangkok decriminalized cannabis in June last year, Taiwanese and foreign Internet celebrities have traveled to Thailand to make videos of themselves smoking marijuana. Many young Taiwanese have followed suit, giving them more opportunities to be exposed to drugs.
The extent of drug use in Taiwan is alarming. A drug situation report published by the Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office showed that more narcotics were seized in Taiwan last year than ever before. The total weight of cannabis seized in Taiwan has increased yearly along with the rising number of cannabis users, most of whom are young people.
Not long ago, the Chinese-language United Daily News reported about a female college student in her 20s who had been exposed to marijuana since the age of 17 and used it for three or four years. As a result, she developed auditory hallucinations, often thinking that someone was calling her name. More worryingly, she said that half of the students in her department smoked marijuana.
Taiwan’s aging population and low birthrate have long been considered national security issues. The worry is that if more young people take drugs, these combined factors might cause Taiwan to disappear.
Addicts usually start using drugs out of curiosity and peer pressure. They naively believe that drugs are controllable, that they can use them whenever they want and quit whenever they want. This attitude of overlooking the dangerous side of drugs puts people on a path to addiction.
Some studies show that cannabis damages the brain and those who become addicted are permanently impaired. Once they reach this stage, they can never recover. If a person who quits drugs is once more exposed to them, they often again become addicted. It is a long-term affliction. The harm of cannabis is not only the drug itself, but that it is a gateway to more dangerous substances.
These drug-related incidents involving Internet personalities should be taken seriously. Above all, parents should be concerned about them. They should spend more time interacting and communicating with their children and care for them in such a way that they do not get drawn into the wicked world of drugs.
Dino Wei is an information engineer in Yilan City.
Translated by Julian Clegg
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