The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said reported drug abuse of synthetic cathinones — more commonly known as “bath salts” — have increased by more than 70 times in the past five years.
The reported number of cases of people using synthetic cathinones — including mephedrone, methylone, MDPV and ethylone — have increased rapidly, from about 440 in 2011 to about 31,390 last year, the agency said on Wednesday.
Lin Tsang-yaw (林滄耀), a physician at the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Tsao-Tun Psychiatric Center, said synthetic cathinones are central nervous system stimulants that are addictive, and the drug reactions are similar to amphetamines and MDMA, commonly known as “ecstasy”.
Abuse of synthetic cathinones can cause hallucinations, aggressive or violent behavior, and even self injury, he said, adding that because synthetic cathinones are easy to synthesize and ingest, they become popular drugs.
“Young people usually get the drug in pubs, night clubs or even motels, and the sources are mostly from their friends,” Lin said.
He said the youngest reported user in Taiwan was only 13 years old, and that he has treated drug abusers as young as 14 and 16 years old, who have used violence against their peers.
FDA official Lee Pin-chu (李品珠) said most synthetic cathinones are mixtures of various ingredients — sometimes as many as 12 types of chemical substances at different dosages — and they can be sold in different kinds of packages, including bottles, boxes or sachets, so it can be difficult for people to recognize them.
The agency said that because these drugs are manufactured in unlicensed factories, sometimes the concentration can be too high and possibly fatal, so people should be especially cautious when going to environments where illegal drug are likely accessible, and never take coffee or milk tea sachets that they have never seen before, as they could contain drugs.
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
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