The Executive Yuan on Thursday approved draft amendments to Article 185-3 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of China and Article 54 of the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces, aimed at increasing penalties for drug-impaired driving offenses and enhancing public safety. The proposed changes to the nation's and the armed forces' criminal codes will be submitted to the Legislative Yuan for deliberation, with the former to be jointly submitted by the Executive Yuan and the Judicial Yuan.
Premier Cho Jung-tai said that, following repeated incidents involving etomidate (commonly associated with so-called "zombie vapes") and other emerging drugs, the Executive Yuan undertook an interministerial review of existing drug control and drug-impaired driving prevention measures. To strengthen enforcement against etomidate-related offenses and prevent drug-impaired driving, the government has launched a set of measures focused on three policy fronts: deterrence at the source, increased enforcement, and tougher penalties for drug-impaired driving.
The premier highlighted three key areas of change in the proposed amendments. First, the ROC Criminal Code will substantially increase penalties across the board for drug-impaired driving offenses, including those resulting in serious injury or death, as well as repeat offenses causing serious injury or death. Second, the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces will impose heavier fines than those prescribed under the ROC Criminal Code. Third, strict provisions will be introduced enabling the confiscation of vehicles involved in drunk or drug-impaired driving offenses that result in serious injury or death. These measures aim not only to prevent impaired driving, but also to deter people from providing their vehicles without legitimate reason to individuals who have consumed alcohol or used drugs, thereby serving the twin goals of general and specific deterrence.