A crowd of 700 mostly young people rallied in Taipei yesterday promoting “equal rights for cannabis,” and complained of a heavy police presence and sniffer dogs at the event.
At the head of the rally were leaders from the group Green Sensation, which organized the event. They carried a green banner that had their main demands written on it, and shouted slogans such as “Decriminalize cannabis,” “End the discrimination” and “Legalize it for medical use.”
Police at the event included units from the Taipei City Police Department’s Zhongzheng First Precinct, joined by sniffer dogs from the New Taipei City Police Department’s K9 unit, which specializes in narcotics, and units from the National Police Agency Special Operations Group.
Some participants were surprised at the heavy police presence.
People entering the cordoned-off area for the rally had to register by downloading a QR code on their mobile phone, and submit their name and telephone number, in line with government regulations for the prevention of COVID-19.
They then had to pass through a gauntlet of more than a dozen officers and their sniffer dogs.
Organizers said they had complied with government regulations when applying for a permit to hold the rally, but the heavy police presence might have deterred some from attending.
Chung Ho-yun (鍾和耘), a leading advocate, called on Taiwan to follow international standards and permit 0.3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol in cannabis products, similar to the US.
The group also demanded that authorities evaluate scientific evidence that has shown the medical and therapeutical benefits of using cannabis for certain illnesses and conditions, from alleviating pain to providing relief for terminally ill patients.
Taiwan should follow the lead of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs, which in December last year removed cannabis from the global narcotic drugs list, they said.
The rally also called for an end to the stigmatization of cannabis consumption.
Chung said he was happy about the turnout, adding that most of the protesters were young people, who are well-informed about international trends.
Many countries have legalized medical and recreational use of cannabis, and authorities in those countries do not view it as an “evil drug,” he added.
The military has spotted two Chinese warships operating in waters near Penghu County in the Taiwan Strait and sent its own naval and air forces to monitor the vessels, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said. Beijing sends warships and warplanes into the waters and skies around Taiwan on an almost daily basis, drawing condemnation from Taipei. While the ministry offers daily updates on the locations of Chinese military aircraft, it only rarely gives details of where Chinese warships are operating, generally only when it detects aircraft carriers, as happened last week. A Chinese destroyer and a frigate entered waters to the southwest
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comment last year on Tokyo’s potential reaction to a Taiwan-China conflict has forced Beijing to rewrite its invasion plans, a retired Japanese general said. Takaichi told the Diet on Nov. 7 last year that a Chinese naval blockade or military attack on Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, potentially allowing Tokyo to exercise its right to collective self-defense. Former Japan Ground Self-Defense Force general Kiyofumi Ogawa said in a recent speech that the remark has been interpreted as meaning Japan could intervene in the early stages of a Taiwan Strait conflict, undermining China’s previous assumptions
Taiwan Railways Corp (TRC) today announced that Shin Kong Mitsukoshi has been selected as the preferred bidder to operate the Taipei Railway Station shopping mall, replacing the current operator, Breeze Development Co Ltd. Among eight qualified firms that delivered presentations and were evaluated by a review committee, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi was ranked first, while Breeze was named the runner-up, the rail company said in a statement. Contract negotiations are to proceed in accordance with regulations, it said, adding that if negotiations with the top bidder fail, it could invite the second-ranked applicant to enter talks. Breeze in a statement today expressed doubts over
RSS