Cabinet proposes saliva tests to crack down on 'zombie vapes'

Taipei, June 18 (CNA) The Cabinet on Thursday proposed a legal revision that would provide a legal basis for administering saliva tests on certain individuals as a means to identify users of the illicit narcotic etomidate.

The proposal is part of the government's ongoing drive to combat "zombie vapes," electronic cigarettes containing etomidate, which has sparked widespread public safety concerns.

"Etomidate is known to have a shorter half-life. Should testing be delayed, what was supposed to be a positive result will turn out to be negative," Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said at a Cabinet news conference.

Cho said he had approved a proposal to amend the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act during a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day that would authorize authorities to conduct saliva tests in addition to urine tests to detect drug offenses in a more timely manner, thereby strengthening drug prevention efforts.

Ministry of Justice (MOJ) official Chang Hsiao-wen (張曉雯) told CNA that the proposal targets specific personnel, such as medical workers, teachers and police officers charged with certain responsibilities that require them to be tested to ensure they have not used illicit narcotics.

Tougher DUI penalties proposed

The Cabinet on Thursday also proposed a separate set of amendments aimed at increasing penalties for drug-impaired driving.

Under the proposals, anyone caught driving a motor vehicle under the influence of illegal narcotics would have their driver's license revoked, be barred from retaking the driver's license test for three years and have their vehicle confiscated.

Under current rules, anyone caught driving under the influence of drugs faces a driver's license suspension of one to two years.

The proposals also call for escalating fines for drug-impaired driving. First-time offenders would face a maximum fine of NT$90,000 (US$2,848) for scooter riders and NT$120,000 for other motorists.

The fines would increase by NT$90,000 for each subsequent offense, with no upper limit.

In addition, passengers aged 18 and older who knowingly ride with a person driving while under the influence of a controlled substance would face fines of between NT$6,000 and NT$15,000.

E-cigarette possession penalty

Cho also announced that another set of legal amendments scheduled to be introduced next week would impose penalties on people found in possession of electronic cigarettes, one of the primary means by which etomidate is consumed.

Minister Without Portfolio Lin Ming-hsin (林明昕) said electronic cigarettes are currently listed as contraband in Taiwan, but enforcement remains weak.

There are currently no penalties for people who possess such devices without using them, Lin said, adding that the proposed amendments would close such loopholes.

The MOJ on Wednesday reclassified etomidate as a Category 1 narcotic, meaning the manufacture, transport and sale of the drug are punishable by a maximum penalty of death.