Taiwan averages about 10 cannabis possession cases per month, although the real figure of those using is certainly much higher, according to Wang Chieh-to (王捷拓), a former prosecutor turned lawyer.
“Most people in Taiwan who smoke marijuana are white-collar professionals, and many are university graduates or young people who have visited or studied in countries where recreational use of cannabis is legal,” Wang said.
“The authorities do not typically come across it, because most Taiwanese users have no criminal record, they privately purchase the cannabis and related products for recreational use, for relaxation, and they usually do not keep a big amount at home,” he added.
Wang made the remarks as cannabis came to the public’s attention after Ker Chun-yao (柯鈞耀), son of Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), was on Friday questioned and released on NT$100,000 bail for an alleged breach of the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例).
Maritime Affairs Division’s Keelung branch intercepted a package of cannabis extracts addressed to Ker Chun-yao, who reportedly denied knowing the package’s contents or using any illegal substances in Taiwan.
Prosecutors attempting to check his communication records were hindered by Ker Chun-yao saying that he lost his smartphone.
Ker Chien-ming on Friday said that he respects the judiciary’s investigation and that his son was fully cooperating with prosecutors.
Lee Hui-chu (李慧珠), a defense lawyer with trial experience, said that cannabis is a Category 2 narcotic under the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例) and that offenders face from 10 years to life in prison.
“However, Taiwan’s justice system is not as ‘hardline’ as in the past,” she said. “For people with no prior convictions and who are first-time offenders on a cannabis charge, the courts are generally deferring prosecution for drug rehabilitation, or offering no indictment in exchange for evaluating the client’s abstinence after undergoing a successful drug rehabilitation.”
Advocates in Taiwan — who have formed the Green Sensation coalition, which they say has the support of a few lawmakers — have called for the legalization of cannabis, including for medicinal use.
On April 20 last year — also known as “Weed Day” — the Green Sensation held a demonstration outside the Legislative Yuan.
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Monday announced light shows and themed traffic lights to welcome fans of South Korean pop group Twice to the port city. The group is to play Kaohsiung on Saturday as part of its “This Is For” world tour. It would be the group’s first performance in Taiwan since its debut 10 years ago. The all-female group consists of five South Koreans, three Japanese and Tainan’s Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), the first Taiwan-born and raised member of a South Korean girl group. To promote the group’s arrival, the city has been holding a series of events, including a pop-up
TEMPORAL/SPIRITUAL: Beijing’s claim that the next Buddhist leader must come from China is a heavy-handed political maneuver that will fall flat-faced, experts said China’s requirement that the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation to be born in China and approved by Beijing has drawn criticism, with experts at a forum in Taipei yesterday saying that if Beijing were to put forth its own Dalai Lama, the person would not be recognized by the Tibetan Buddhist community. The experts made a remarks at the two-day forum hosted by the Tibet Religious Foundation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama titled: “The Snow Land Forum: Finding Common Ground on Tibet.” China says it has the right to determine the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation, as it claims sovereignty over Tibet since ancient times,
Temperatures in some parts of Taiwan are expected to fall sharply to lows of 15°C later this week as seasonal northeasterly winds strengthen, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. It is to be the strongest cold wave to affect northern Taiwan this autumn, while Chiayi County in the southwest and some parts of central Taiwan are likely to also see lower temperatures due to radiational cooling, which occurs under conditions of clear skies, light winds and dry weather, the CWA said. Across Taiwan, temperatures are to fall gradually this week, dropping to 15°C to 16°C in the early hours of Wednesday
RSS