CIB to introduce rapid saliva drug test to curb substance-related DUI

Taipei, Sept. 26 (CNA) Rapid saliva tests aimed at detecting drug residues within three minutes will be officially introduced in Taiwan to deter substance-related DUI (driving under the influence) offenses, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said Friday.

The bureau made the announcement at a press conference Friday led by CIB Director-General Chou Yu-wei (周幼偉), who announced the initiative but gave no timetable on when it would begin.

In a handout given to reporters, the CIB said it decided to introduce methods adopted by law enforcement officers in developed countries to try to curb the rise of drug-related incidents in Taiwan.

Such incidents, which include DUI cases involving drugs, have contributed to the rise of law enforcement officer injuries, and in some cases, deaths, the CIB said, though it did not provide any details on the extent of the problem.

Traditionally, police officers have only been able to collect fluid samples such as urine from drug-DUI suspects, a time-consuming process made necessary by Taiwan's law enforcement agencies lacking the proper drug-residue detecting equipment.

The CIB said the saliva tests, which will be given to police officers around Taiwan after they get legal approval and undergo trial runs, will be able to detect whether or not a driver was under the influence of drugs within three minutes at a traffic stop.

If a saliva test comes back positive, police officers will be able to confiscate a vehicle on site and also suspend the license of a driver under the influence of drugs, the CIB said.

The new policy and the legal inclusion of the tests are being developed with the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the bureau said.

Besides announcing the new tests, the CIB also addressed what it said was a recent increase in car accidents involving driver consumption of etomidate and substances similar to it.

Etomidate, which is known as zombie vape in Taiwan, space oil in Hong Kong and Kpod in Singapore, has caused deaths as street drugs taken by vaping.

The bureau said there have been documented traffic accidents caused by drivers smoking vape devices containing etomidate and substances with similar molecular formulas while driving.

It pledged to initiate a program to crack down on the substance abuse and continue random traffic stops to detect use of the substance among drivers.