Law enforcement and health officials reminded the public that e-cigarettes and using or selling cannabis are illegal in Taiwan, after the arrest of five people in Taipei last week.
Taipei police said over the weekend that they had broken up a criminal organization, whose members have been accused of selling e-cigarette oil containing cannabis extracts.
After surveilling the premises for several days, police officers carried out a raid at a motel in Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華) last week, in which 94 vaping cartridges and 23 pouches of unknown powdered material were seized.
Photo courtesy of New Taipei City Department of Health
Preliminary lab testing revealed that the cartridges contained cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active ingredients in cannabis. The pouches contained ketamine, which is a controlled substance.
A 25-year-old woman surnamed Liu (劉) allegedly led the criminal ring. One modified handgun, 11 bullets and an undisclosed amount of cash were also seized.
Investigators said that Liu’s group had been selling the vaping cartridge oil for the past year.
Photo: Cheng Ming-hsiang, Taipei Times
The group made an estimated NT$10 million (US$359,544) in illegal proceeds, they said.
The suspects in the case are facing charges of contravening the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防治條例), and for possession of illegal firearms in contravention of the Controlling Guns, Ammunition and Knives Act (槍砲彈藥刀械管制條例).
Investigators said that Liu and ring members allegedly promoted their products to young people via social media and online platforms.
The CBD and THC oil were branded as “Cookies,” “Sherbet,” “Dream,” “Skywalker” and other names, they said.
Officials at the Ministry of Health and Welfare yesterday said that e-cigarette and related vaping devices have not been approved in Taiwan, and their use therefore is illegal, regardless of their contents.
When cannabis or other drugs are added to vaping oil, sellers and customers could be charged with contravening the narcotics act, health officials said.
Regarding oils that contain nicotine or tobacco, and promoting such products, sellers and buyers could be indicted under the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (菸害防制法) or the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act (藥事法), they added.
CBD in pharmaceutical products has received approval for medicinal use in Taiwan, when prescribed by a physician and the request is approved by authorities.
However, general sale of CBD is not permitted. Such products can contain THC at less than 10 parts per million, but would otherwise be scheduled as a Class 2 illegal drug, officials said.
Ministry of Justice officials said yesterday that e-cigarettes and other vaping devices are being found more commonly on school campuses, often containing cannabis.
Authorities have said that e-cigarettes containing nicotine and tobacco are just as addictive as regular cigarettes.
The chemicals e-cigarettes contain, such as flavoring ingredients, can cause severe and permanent lung diseases within a short period of time, they said.
The ministry has said that it is not considering legalizing or decriminalizing cannabis or other substances.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
A white king snake that frightened passengers and caused a stir on a Taipei MRT train on Friday evening has been claimed by its owner, who would be fined, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. A person on Threads posted that he thought he was lucky to find an empty row of seats on Friday after boarding a train on the Bannan (Blue) Line, only to spot a white snake with black stripes after sitting down. Startled, he jumped up, he wrote, describing the encounter as “terrifying.” “Taipei’s rat control plan: Release snakes on the metro,” one person wrote in reply, referring
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
Taiwan’s two cases of hantavirus so far this year are on par with previous years’ case numbers, and the government is coordinating rat extermination work, so there should not be any outbreaks, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said today in an interview with the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper). An increase in rat sightings in Taipei and New Taipei City has raised concerns about the spread of hantavirus, as rats can carry the disease. In January, a man in his 70s who lived in Taipei’s Daan District (大安) tested positive posthumously for hantavirus, Taiwan’s
RSS