The Executive Yuan today approved a Ministry of Justice narcotics review committee plan to reclassify etomidate, also known as the “zombie vape” drug, as a Category 2 narcotic to strengthen law enforcement efforts.
“Zombie vapes” use etomidate, a type of central nervous system depressant that can induce anesthesia.
In a news conference following the Cabinet meeting, Deputy Minister of Justice Huang Shih-chieh (黃世杰) said that simple possession of the drug would be a criminal offense.
Photo: Chiu Chun-fu, Taipei Times
Reclassification to Category 2 means increased penalties for manufacturing, trafficking, transporting and selling etomidate when compared to Category 3 drugs, Huang said.
This also means that possession or using it also qualifies as a crime, Huang added.
According to the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例), those convicted of using Category 2 narcotics shall be punished with a maximum three-year fixed-term imprisonment.
Those convicted of possessing it shall be punished with a maximum two-year fixed-term imprisonment, detention or a fine of no more than NT$200,000 (US$6,142).
Offenders of manufacturing, transporting or selling Category 2 narcotics are subject to life imprisonment or a minimum 10-year fixed-term imprisonment, and may also be subject to a fine of no more than NT$15 million.
There have recently been several high-profile cases of the growing issue of “zombie vapes.”
On Sunday, a conscript was found in a military training center with 50 cartridges, and earlier this year, police officers were killed by drivers who were under the drug’s influence.
In related news, the Executive Yuan passed a new phase of its anti-drug strategy plan, which calls for the government to invest NT$15 billion on anti-drug enforcement efforts.
The funds would go toward reducing supply of new drugs such as etomidate, as well as limiting access to the chemicals needed to create them.
Part of the plan is to incorporate high-tech detection methods to crack down on Internet-based drug trafficking, with the strategy also calling for cross-border cooperation and intelligence sharing.
The Taiwan High Prosecutors' Office is integrating anti-drug resources into its six major enforcement agencies to ensure source tracking and cross-agency cooperation, he said.
For serious cases involving the drug, prosecutors would also push to seize the proceeds, he added.
Since etomidate is mostly consumed in vape form, authorities in the Ministry of Health and Welfare are coordinating with law enforcement to limit the spread of such devices under the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (菸害防制法).
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