Regardless of whether the government permits medical cannabis, the drug’s status as a category 2 drug would not be changed, the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) said on Saturday after a petition calling for medicinal cannabis to be allowed gained more signatures.
A proposal on the National Development Council’s Public Policy Network Participation Platform has collected more than 5,000 signatures, exceeding the threshold needed for the proposal to be considered by the government.
The public must understand that the only difference between narcotics and drugs is whether they are used in a legal manner, the ministry said.
Using morphine, a category 1 narcotic, as an anesthetic is legal, and methadone, a category 2 narcotic, can be used to treat opioid dependence, it said.
Item 4, Article 2 of the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防治條例) states: “[Drug] needs for medication or scientific use can be otherwise designated by law,” which allows for narcotics to be designated as medicinal drugs, it said.
However, no individual or company in Taiwan is importing cannabis medication, either because there are substitutes already in place, or its market would be too small, the ministry said.
Cannabis is a substance that is addictive and could be abused if used recreationally, causing harm to the public, as well as being dangerous to the physical and mental state of the user, it said.
In meetings with representatives from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Taipei Medical University, the pharmaceutical industry and medical experts, the attendees have been unanimously against the legalization of cannabis for recreational use, the justice ministry said.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare on Thursday said that cannabis, which contains cannabinoids such as cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is a restricted category 2 narcotic, as is THC.
As CBD has possible medicinal properties, it is not listed under restricted drugs, it said.
As there are as yet no approved medicines containing CBD, individuals with doctor’s prescriptions for such drugs should apply to import it according to the Regulations on Management of Medicament Samples and Gifts (藥物樣品贈品管理辦法), the health ministry added.
The use of cannabis can increase the possibility of lung or myocardial infarctions as well as addiction, so the public needs to be cautious about pressing for legalization, it said.
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
A fugitive in a suspected cosmetic surgery fraud case today returned to Taiwan from Canada, after being wanted for six years. Internet celebrity Su Chen-tuan (蘇陳端), known as Lady Nai Nai (貴婦奈奈), and her former boyfriend, plastic surgeon Paul Huang (黃博健), allegedly defrauded clients and friends of about NT$1 billion (US$30.66 million). Su was put on a wanted list in 2019 when she lived in Toronto, Canada, after failing to respond to subpoenas and arrest warrants from the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. Su arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 5am today on an EVA Air flight accompanied by a
A 79-year-old woman died today after being struck by a train at a level crossing in Taoyuan, police said. The woman, identified by her surname Wang (王), crossed the tracks even though the barriers were down in Jhongli District’s (中壢) Neili (內壢) area, the Taoyuan Branch of the Railway Police Bureau said. Surveillance footage showed that the railway barriers were lowered when Wang entered the crossing, but why she ventured onto the track remains under investigation, the police said. Police said they received a report of an incident at 6:41am involving local train No. 2133 that was heading from Keelung to Chiayi City. Investigators
The Keelung District Prosecutors’ Office today requested that a court detain three individuals, including Keelung Department of Civil Affairs Director Chang Yuan-hsiang (張淵翔), in connection with an investigation into forged signatures used in recall campaigns. Chang is suspected of accessing a household registration system to assist with recall campaigns targeting Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) city councilors Cheng Wen-ting (鄭文婷) and Jiho Chang (張之豪), prosecutors said. Prosecutors yesterday directed investigators to search six locations, including the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Keelung office and the residences of several recall campaign leaders. The recall campaign leaders, including Chi Wen-chuan (紀文荃), Yu Cheng-i (游正義) and Hsu Shao-yeh
RSS