The government plans to set up 9,000 inspection points near schools nationwide to curb off-campus drug use, Minister Without Portfolio Chi Lien-cheng (季連成) said yesterday.
The operations are expected to cover areas surrounding more than 3,600 schools across Taiwan where students are known to gather and drug use is known to occur, Chi said in a radio interview.
Authorities would also enhance intelligence sharing between schools and police about drug-related activity, and assess the feasibility of deploying “fifth-level” security personnel on campus, he said.
Photo: CNA
To bolster drug-prevention efforts, the Executive Yuan has proposed harsher penalties for drug-impaired driving and preventive suspension of driver’s licenses for drug users.
The Ministry of Justice’s Drug Review Committee last week approved upgrading etomidate-related substances, used in “zombie vapes,” to Category 1 narcotics, which Chi said would take effect soon.
The Executive Yuan is expected to approve amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (菸害防制法) tomorrow, he said.
Photo: Wang Chun-chung, Taipei Times
Under the proposals, possession of e-cigarettes would be banned and violators would be fined, he said.
The use of “zombie vapes” has been increasing, Chi said.
Etomidate — an oil-based substance typically consumed through e-cigarettes — can trigger hallucinations, making driving under its influence dangerous, he said.
As e-cigarette use is widespread among young people, and some have been found using the devices to consume etomidate, enforcement would focus on areas outside school grounds, but authorities would not enter schools, Chi said.
Instead, they would target off-campus gathering spots where drug dealers are known to operate, to prevent drugs from entering school environments, he said.
The government would establish a coordinated anti-drug enforcement system, with the High Prosecutors’ Office setting up a command center and district prosecutors’ offices forming task forces to integrate intelligence, coordination and operational command, Chi said.
While enforcement would target the full supply chain, including drug manufacturing labs, traffickers and drug-impaired driving cases, interdiction efforts would also extend overseas, with authorities tracking vessels from foreign ports, he said, adding that inspections would be carried out within 24 nautical miles (44.4km) of Taiwan’s territorial waters.
Customs authorities would also step up inspections at international ports and border checkpoints, he said.
More drug-sniffing dogs would be trained and deployed at airports and seaports to detect etomidate, and would also be used to screen postal parcels, Chi said.
The government has pledged a tougher crackdown on organized crime and drug offenses, and “it will show no leniency,” he said.
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