Preventing drug abuse by youths is currently the top priority of the government's anti-drug efforts, Premier Jiang Yi-huah said today.
The premier made this remark after hearing the Supreme Prosecutors Office's (SPO) analysis of the current domestic drug situation at an Executive Yuan drug prevention and control meeting that he chaired.
An important aspect of examining the effectiveness of anti-drug efforts is analyzing the number and means of crackdowns, Jiang said. He thus asked the SPO to provide a more concrete and detailed analysis report on the situation in order to facilitate the government's work.
The premier also pointed out that about 40 percent of Schedule III and IV drug users are age 18-23 (inclusive), and around 70 percent are age 18-29 (inclusive). These figures indicate the worrisome abuse of ketamine among youths, he warned.
Jiang directed the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) to call together agencies involved in drug prevention and control to formulate a new sweeping countermeasure against drug abuse with concrete, viable and comprehensive strategies. The MOJ should invite these authorities to scrupulously review and revise the measure during the formulation stage, he added. If necessary, certain key aspects of the measure can be discussed in detail in a future Executive Yuan drug control meeting.
At today's meeting, the Ministry of Education (MOE) also reported on its three-tiered approach to prevent students from abusing drugs. "Young students are the pillar of the country, and on-campus drug and substance abuse must be prevented early," Jiang said.
Private-sector representatives at the meeting suggested that more effective publicity measures should be implemented to stop drug abuse in universities, and more resources should be granted to municipal governments to ensure a stable supply of counseling personnel. Premier Jiang directed the MOE to incorporate this feedback into its policymaking. He also asked Minister without Portfolio Feng Yen to coordinate cross-ministry efforts to formulate policies and measures to better stop juvenile drug abuse and run anti-narcotics campaigns through new media.
After being briefed by the Ministry of National Defense (MND) on anti-drug efforts in the military, Jiang noted that over 210,000 soldiers now serve in the country's armed forces; each year a considerable number of them are newly recruited or conscripted; and these young soldiers become a critical component of ROC society once they are discharged. Jiang asked the MND to help young servicemen to understand the danger and harm of narcotics by promulgating anti-drug concepts during their service period.
The premier also requested the MND to offer rehabilitation services to addicts. "The military is a miniature version of a society and must properly utilize medical resources there to help soldiers fight drug addiction," he emphasized. The MND's military police, also a drug investigation agency, is tasked with supporting district prosecutors' offices as they crack down on narcotics as well as investigating servicemen involved in drug-related crimes.