At the Executive Yuan Drug Prevention and Control Board meeting on Wednesday, Premier Lai Ching-te asked government agencies in charge of the New Generation Anti-drug Strategy to ensure all components of the strategy and associated timetables are executed as planned. The strategy was introduced one year ago, he said, and agencies should examine the current state of drug control while reviewing developments on a continual basis.
One of the Executive Yuan's central policies for 2018 is to create a secure and prosperous living and working environment, the premier continued. With respect to a secure living environment, the most important objective is to root out illicit drugs and combat organized crime. And since drug abuse is the one public safety issue people care most about, he has designated prevention as a major policy objective for the government.
The meeting also looked at the first-year achievements of the New Generation Anti-drug Strategy, as well as its present status and future outlook. Premier Lai lauded prosecutors, police, investigators, military police, coast guard and customs agents for their joint drug enforcement operations, and thanked the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health and Welfare, and Ministry of Education for their collaborative efforts. Drug enforcement is visibly stronger now than in the past, and the anti-drug strategy has already yielded positive early results, he said.