Gov’t seeks to crack down on drugs, to make safer roads and safer schools

Gov’t seeks to crack down on drugs, to make safer roads and safer schools

2026-06-23

With the amount of drugs being seized increasing and the abuse of emerging “zombie vapes” becoming more rampant, the Executive Yuan has formed a task force to take on criminal organizations and crack down on drugs. Minister without portfolio Chi Lien-cheng is leading the charge in an effort to stop drug-impaired driving and prevent drugs from getting onto and spreading around school property.

In Taoyuan, this white car’s swerving is getting worse. It ends up scraping against an oncoming car and then smashing into the back of a different car.

But this white car didn’t stop until it had run right into a scooter helmet store.

The store’s glass windows are shattered, and there are car parts all over. The driver stumbles out, struggling to keep her balance. The police test her for drugs and the result is positive. Suspected of driving while under the influence of drugs, a look inside the vehicle reveals she’s in possession of etomidate-laced “zombie vapes.” But that’s not all there is in the vehicle: the driver’s 3-year-old daughter is sitting in the back seat.

Driver of a vehicle that got hit
Furious
I think that people really shouldn’t be driving under the influence of drugs. I had stopped at a traffic light, waiting for it to turn green, waiting for pedestrians to cross the road, and then some driver high on drugs comes up and hits me from behind.

Recently, etomidate-laced e-cigarette pods, known as “zombie vapes,” have been the cause of many deadly traffic tragedies, striking fear in the hearts of the public. Setting its sights on drug control, the Executive Yuan and Minister without portfolio Chi Lien-cheng have responded to the issue of drugged driving by forming a task force that will crack down on organized crime and illegal drugs.

Chi Lien-cheng
Minister without portfolio
Etomidate abuse is getting progressively worse. A lot of the drug-impaired driving we’ve been seeing all has to do with etomidate.

Cho Jung-tai
Premier
We’ve recently been facing the challenge of emerging drugs like etomidate, a drug that has been causing a lot of accidents. The Executive Yuan had the Narcotics Review Committee evaluate the drug, which has now been elevated to a Schedule 1 narcotic.

The government has declared it’s cracking down on drugs, with all traffic checkpoints now having saliva rapid tests. If a driver is found to be operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs, his or her license will be revoked for 3 years, the vehicle being driven will be seized, and even passengers in the vehicle will be fined. The Executive Yuan also has new measures that will take the anti-drug effort to school grounds.

Chi Lien-cheng
Minister without portfolio
In terms of law enforcement, they won’t be going onto school property. What I’ve suggested is having “fifth level” campus security, which are either trained military personnel or retired police officers. If a school needs this type of security personnel, then the school can make a request to their campus security company, which can recruit and select candidates that are able to satisfy the school’s needs; the school can then consider the qualified candidates. I must make it clear that the schools will be taking the initiative on this.

In order to crack down on drugs and make the public feel safer, Chi Lien-cheng is overseeing the combined effort of six entities nationwide: prosecutors, police, investigators, coast guard, military police, and customs.

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#caraccident #zombievape #etomidate #traffic #publicsafety