TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan is intensifying its battle against e-cigarettes and emerging drug threats, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), the head of Taiwan's government, announced Friday (Jun 12). The administration will fast-track amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (菸害防制法) that would grant authorities expanded powers to confiscate and destroy electronic cigarettes and related tobacco products. Cho framed these measures as part of a broader governmental strategy to combat evolving drug-related challenges that have increasingly infiltrated Taiwan's youth culture through modern nicotine delivery systems.
The Executive Yuan (行政院), Taiwan's cabinet, reported that the premier chaired the country's 37th high-level anti-drug conference, during which government officials presented comprehensive analyses of Taiwan's current narcotics landscape and outlined strategic enforcement initiatives. During the proceedings, Cho personally awarded commendations to law enforcement personnel who had demonstrated exceptional performance in anti-drug operations. The premier emphasized that narcotics enforcement remains a cornerstone of Taiwan's public safety agenda, pointing to the government's unwavering zero-tolerance approach that recently yielded impressive results: authorities seized 15,673 kilograms of illicit substances and dismantled 151 clandestine drug manufacturing facilities during the 12th coordinated wave of the nation's anti-drug campaign.
The premier directed the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office (臺灣高等檢察署), the island's top prosecutorial authority, to consolidate the nation's six separate drug enforcement systems into a more cohesive operational framework. Cho instructed the Ministry of Justice (MOJ, 法務部) and the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW, 衛福部) to strengthen their surveillance capabilities and implement expedited review processes when new narcotic substances are identified. With particular concern, the premier highlighted the growing trend of e-cigarettes serving as delivery mechanisms for novel psychoactive substances, prompting him to task both the Ministry of Education (MOE, 教育部) and health authorities with developing targeted interventions to counter their rising popularity among Taiwan's adolescent population.
Cho expressed optimism that the proposed legislative amendments would successfully navigate their third and final reading in the Legislative Yuan (立法院), Taiwan's parliament, transforming these policy initiatives into concrete legal instruments that enforcement agencies could deploy immediately. These measures represent our administration's unwavering commitment to "protecting public health and safety," the premier exaplined during the conference, emphasizing the urgent need for updated legal frameworks to address the rapidly evolving challenges posed by both traditional narcotics and emerging substances disguised as consumer products. ◼