The trend among drug abusers is turning toward ingesting deadly drug cocktails that combine different chemical components, health authorities said on the eve of UN Anti-Drug Day. \n"In the past, we found at most two or three types of drugs in the narcotics that we seized, but now the number of drugs being taken simultaneously is increasing quickly," said Li Jih-hen (李志恆), director-general of the health department's Bureau of Controlled Drugs. \nLi said that cocktails consisting of more than eight drugs had recently been found. \n"People mix the drugs themselves, so you could be taking amphetamine even while you think you're taking ecstasy. Most users just want to find a drug that is cheap and effective, but taking different drugs at the same time could increase the drugs' potency," said Tsai Wei-jen (蔡維禎), a doctor at Taipei Veterans General Hospital's Division of Clinical Toxicology and Nephrology. \nThe bureau also said that in recent years MDEA, a psychedelic drug similar to ecstasy, had begun to appear on the market. \n"People probably started to use MDEA to avoid explicit drug-prohibition regulations. However, the chemical components of this drug are similar to those of MDMA and, as such, it is still an illegal drug," Tsai said. \nAccording to the bureau, heroin and amphetamines remain the two most popular hard drugs in the country. However, Tsai said that while in the past most users smoked heroin, about 90 percent of users now choose to inject the drug. \n"As a result, about 70 to 90 percent of drug abusers also have hepatitis B or C, not to mention the increased likelihood of them contracting AIDS," Tsai said. \ntroubling \nSu Lien-wen (束連文), a doctor at the addiction science department at Taipei City Psychiatric Center, said that the new drug-taking patterns were troubling in light of the meager support that exists for rehabilitation. \n"As more young people come into contact with drugs, the overall number of drug addicts will increase. There is a 10-year reaction time, but it will happen," Su said. \nSu said a conservative estimate put the number of people who have experimented with drugs at 1 million. Anywhere between 200,000 and 400,000 people are estimated to be drug addicts. \n"Heroin and amphetamines are still the two most commonly abused drugs in Taiwan. It began in the 1980s, when the drugs first became popular. Once you are addicted, you become a loyal customer for life," Su said. \nSu was unhappy that although drugs are readily available among young people today, drug rehabilitation programs do not receive much public support. \nAccording to Su, only about 10 hospitals offer drug rehabilitation treatment. \nAnd while medical expenses incurred during treatment are not covered by the National Health Insurance, patients cost about NT$30,000 for each week they spend in hospital. Treatment costs another NT$50,000 to NT$60,000 per year. \n"National Health Insurance does not cover the costs of medical treatment needed to overcome narcotics addiction because [the authorities] believe that drug abusers bring their problems upon themselves," Su said. "But we don't refuse to cover treatment costs for heart disease by blaming the patient for an unhealthy lifestyle."
TECH PROGRAM: A US official said that an important part of the delegation’s trip would be to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co executives The US is to send officials in charge of chip development to Taiwan, Japan and South Korea to promote cooperation in the global semiconductor supply chain, the US Department of Commerce said on Tuesday. Chips Program Office Director Michael Schmidt announced the visit, which marks the first time officials from the office are to visit the three nations since it was set up in September last year. “As semiconductors and technologies continue to evolve, the United States will keep working with allies and partners to develop coordinated strategies to ensure that malign actors cannot use the latest technologies to undermine our collective
Seven senior faculty members, including the principal, of a high school in Taichung were temporarily suspended from their jobs on Friday, pending an investigation by the Taichung Education Bureau into alleged bullying and abuse that led to the suicide of a student last month. The city’s education officials were too slow to suspend those involved, the student’s father told a news conference on Wednesday, at which Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chang Liao Wan-chien (張廖萬堅) and members of the Humanistic Education Foundation were also present. The boy had been a good student and a high achiever during elementary and junior-high, and had
Taiwan does not exclude the possibility of having formal diplomatic relations with counties that also have formal ties with China, regardless of Beijing’s stance, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said on Sunday. There was speculation in 2012 that Honduras was attempting to have simultaneous diplomatic relations with Taiwan and China, an idea that then-minister of foreign affairs David Lin (林永樂) rejected. Honduras severed formal ties with Taiwan on Sunday morning after establishing diplomatic relations with Beijing. President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration has taken a more practical approach to relations with like-minded countries since assuming government in 2016. Previous administrations took the
ORIGIN UNKNOWN: The Leofoo Village Theme Park and Taipei Zoo have accounted for their baboons, as authorities continue a 12-day capture attempt Authorities in Taoyuan are searching for a non-native baboon, possibly of the chacma species, that has been spotted several times in the city’s Pingjhen District (平鎮) over the past 12 days, and was most recently seen in coastal Sinwu District (新屋). The baboon was first spotted near a local factory on March 10 in central Taoyuan, Jhensing Borough Warden Huang Chih-chieh (黃志杰) said. Huang said he requested the Leofoo Village Theme Park’s help after a second sighting on Saturday. In other sightings, the baboon raided fruit and vegetable gardens on private property, and has evaded one capture attempt via a tranquilizer dart. Media reported
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