The Ministry of Justice is planning to classify etomidate as a Category 1 narcotic, with drug trafficking punishable by death, Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) said yesterday.
Cheng made the remark at the legislature’s Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee when reporting on drug-driving prevention measures.
Data from the National Police Agency showed that drug driving incidents jumped from 2,619 cases in 2024 to 8,659 cases last year.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
At least 4,725 cases were identified over the first four months of this year — 2.7 times higher than the same period last year, it showed.
Etomidate, often called “zombie vape,” was the focus of the meeting, as many drug-impaired drivers were arrested under the influence of etomidate, but the substance metabolizes rapidly and is difficult to detect.
Cheng said the ministry would convene a Narcotics Review Committee meeting on Wednesday next week to upgrade the Category 2 narcotic to Category 1 given its abuse potential and social harm.
If the proposal is passed, people convicted of manufacturing, transporting or selling etomidate could be judicially executed, he said.
The ministry has hardened interdiction on drug driving beginning last month and requested that courts deliver heavy-handed sentences for related offenses, he added.
Cheng said vaping has replaced injection in etomidate use, making it easier for drivers to take the drug.
New drug use and recidivism rates have decreased, he said.
Driving on etomidate is especially dangerous, as it causes loss of consciousness and motor control, Cheng said.
Police officers would use rapid tests and collect urine samples immediately after they stop and check suspected drug drivers, he said.
They would act quickly given etomidate’s short half-life, Cheng said, adding prosecutors must promptly apply for detention as well.
Drug users cannot control themselves, as drugs might have altered their brain chemistry, he said. They need to be treated with medical intervention, mental counseling or group therapy, Cheng said, adding the drug-use prevention fund would be used to fund rehabilitative efforts.
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