The Ministry of Education and other agencies should do more to address a rise in the abuse of category 4 drugs among students, a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) affiliated think tank said.
The ministry’s data on student drug use from 2017 to May showed annual increases in the abuse of category 4 drugs among students from elementary-school age to university age, said Apollo Chen (陳學聖), convener of the National Policy Foundation’s Education and Sports Division.
There were no reports of students abusing category 4 drugs in 2017, but the number rose to two in 2018 and to 11 last year, he said.
Photo: CNA
Chen urged the ministry and other agencies to address the issue, saying that up to 90 percent of drug users tend to relapse after developing an addiction.
More than 60 percent of the public funds budgeted to combat drug use last year was spent on rehabilitation and apprehending drug dealers, Chen said, citing National Audit Office figures.
The ratio of funds set aside for campaigns to raise awareness about drug prevention had fallen to below 10 percent from 20 percent in 2017, he said.
Chen said drugs are mostly being sold online, making it difficult for law enforcement to track down sales, and increasing the risk of exposing children and teenagers to drugs.
More than 77 substances are listed as category 4 narcotics, he said.
An expert in 2019 said that the six most common category 4 drugs are benzodiazepines alprazolam (sold as Xanax), diazepam (marketed as Valium) and lorazepam; sleep medication zolpidem (sold as Ambien); the opioid tramadol; and the psychedelic tryptamine 5-methoxy-N,N-diisopropyltryptamine, also known as Foxy, Chen said.
The Ministry of Justice’s drug awareness Web site lists zolpidem, benzodiazepines and Foxy, while Chiayi County’s drug prevention center’s Web site lists only diazepam and alprazolam, and Kaohsiung City Government’s Drug Abuse Prevention Center’s Web site lists only a few types of category 4 drugs, he said.
School Web sites also do not provide adequate information on category 4 drugs, he added.
Chen said there is a disconnect between the government and agencies, and the overall drug prevention strategy needs more integrated efforts.
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