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).
The first of 10 new high-capacity trains purchased from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem arrived at the Port of Taipei yesterday to meet the demands of an expanding metro network, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. The train completed a three-day, 1,200km voyage from the Port of Masan in South Korea, the company said. Costing NT$590 million (US$18.79 million) each, the new six-carriage trains feature a redesigned interior based on "human-centric" transportation concepts, TRTC said. The design utilizes continuous longitudinal seating to widen the aisles and optimize passenger flow, while also upgrading passenger information displays and driving control systems for a more comfortable
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
Quarantine awareness posters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport have gone viral for their use of wordplay. Issued by the airport branch of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, the posters feature sniffer dogs making a range of facial expressions, paired with advisory messages built around homophones. “We update the messages for holidays and campaign needs, periodically refreshing materials to attract people’s attention,” quarantine officials said. “The aim is to use the dogs’ appeal to draw focus to quarantine regulations.” A Japanese traveler visiting Taiwan has posted a photo on X of a poster showing a quarantine dog with a
Taiwan’s coffee community has launched a “one-person-one-e-mail” campaign, calling for people to send a protest-e-mail to the World Coffee Championships (WCC) urging it to redesignate Taiwanese competitors as from “Taiwan,” rather than “Chinese Taipei.” The call followed sudden action last week after the WCC changed all references to Taiwanese competitors from “Taiwan” to “Chinese Taipei,” including recent World Latte Art champion Bala (林紹興), who won the World Latte Art Championship in San Diego earlier this month. When Bala received the trophy, he was referred to as representing Taiwan, as well as in the announcement on the WCC’s Web site, until it
RSS