Taipei, Aug. 4 (CNA) The number of cases involving the use or sale of third- and fourth-degree controlled drugs such as rohypnol and ketamine in the first half of 2012 saw a marked increase, with most cases in New Taipei, according to government data released Saturday.

The number of cases involving such drugs reported by police in the first half of the year represented an increase of 26.11 percent from a year earlier, the Ministry of the Interior data shows.

However, the figures also show that the number of cases involving first-degree controlled drugs such as heroin, morphine and cocaine decreased 7.12 percent from a year earlier, while cases involving second-degree controlled drugs such as marijuana and amphetamine dropped 4.06 percent.

According to the data, a total of 21,252 cases involving abuse of controlled drugs were reported during the period, a decrease of 4.36 percent from a year earlier.

New Taipei reported most of the cases, with a total of 3,626, followed by Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan and Taipei.

(By Angela Tsai and Hanna Liu)
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