A seemingly pertinent, but undoubtedly unpopular, question might be…Of the recent and historical drug busts on the island, how many have involved persons working here in the “English Teaching” business?
Take a look at the people who are typically attracted to teaching English in Taiwan. I mean as a demographic group they tend to be young, educated, well off compared to similarly aged locals, away from friends and family and the product of liberal universities in the West. Add to this the ease of access to recreational drugs and you are more than likely to find a higher than average take up rate than in other professions in Taiwan, equally for those in professions where travel is a pre-requisite it may be very hard to tell where they partook of drugs in a failed test environment whilst your average English teacher is stuck on the rock 51 weeks of the year (according to another thread).
I haven’t even mentioned the fact that many of them are Canadian - oh damn there I go. 
How come all these drug busts take place every time I am overseas?
Shit you know what this means… they are going to start checking our luggage now going through customs at the airport… Thanks a lot you stupid asshats. And to the asshats that made the drugs illegal in the first place.
I never have any problems at the airports and in anycase nowadays most at most airpors sniffers dogs routinely check backage.
Since I am not carrying drugs I or food imports I have nothing to worry about.
AS for saying that the people who make rulings to say that certain drugs are illegal why would you have an issue with that?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1_vOJRlSkI
I’m the last one to ever link to Fox News as a source but the Andrew Napelatono guy is usually pretty straight up (and one of the few real Republicans on the channel IMO).
chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/loca … police.htm
Drug bust !! Amazing! NO Canadians involved (or other furriners).
I have to ask this question, does every new poster on this forum ask
stupid
questions?
A tiny, tiny minority. Mostly Taiwanese or ethnic Taiwanese living in Southeast Asia. Mostly gang-affiliated. Multi-kilogram ketamine bust at the airport was the latest “historical” bust. Happened last week. Biggest K bust ever in Taiwan. No foreigners involved.
How come all these drug busts take place every time I am overseas?[/quote]
Let us know the next time you are going, okay?
I have to ask this question, does every new poster on this forum ask
stupid
questions?[/quote]
Right, everyone should now it is called TUI, teaching under the influence…
I learn a lot from teaching adults now and a cop who comes to my class said it is becoming more common to see young Taiwanese take/busted for drugs. He also said it is always easier to focus on the foreign crowd than the locals for the media, it makes for better news and confirms the sterotypes. He’s also seen a lot of drunk drivers. A woman that is local a doctor told me because of all the stress placed on locals many take legal drugs to the point where they are now addicts.
Yeah, I tried some different crap in HS and college, but after a cousin almost ODed in 2000 I was finished!
[quote=“SerpentChina”]Just cos they’re not caught doesn’t mean they’re not doing it.
Now seriously I know it’s a broad stupid sterotypical question, but really… even the ex-pats I bumped into in Taiwan were talking about “scoring some weed later”, is there any way to escape this?? Or am I the only one in my generation who actually doesn’t want to get high all the time??[/quote]
I have not used any marijuana in Taiwan.
There we go again.
Seen on TV this afternoon: Teacher ‘Steven’ at golf training center in Taichung caught growing marijuana at home and dealing in local clubs. Police found 57 g of the product and 3,500 ‘seeds.’
Dare I mention his country of origin? To protect the sensitive, here is the censored version: Cxxxxa.
I guess the full story will be in the papers tomorrow morning.
Why bother? As Dangergyrl attests, you can get anything you like from doctors in Taiwan. Unless you want to announce your arrested development (no pun intended) by spending your days doing rebelrebelbabydidn’twanttoleavecollege drugz, or by acting like someone’s dad, smoking weed, just google and use your NHI card. Go local, and I don’t mean the daft wee girls on Ketamine, acting like teenagers when they’re old enough to know better, I mean the wall-to-wall benzo, SSRI and sleeping pill abuse that characterises Taiwan.
is medical marijuana in taiwan legal? personally, i dont think weed is a big deal. but maybe authorities are afraid weed usage leads to harder, harsher drugs. it’s good that taiwan doesnt have the serious drug problems that the u.s. does so maybe it is a good thing taiwanese authorities take weed very seriously.
[quote=“China Post on 11-20-2009”][color=#FF0000]Canadian man busted for marijuana[/color]
TAICHUNG, Taiwan – A Canadian man was arrested yesterday for drug-trafficking and growing marijuana in his residence in Taichung.
The man, identified only as Steven, was caught by the police at his lodging with several marijuana plants in it. The police also ferreted out 57 grams of the drugs and more than 3500 hemp seeds.
The law enforcement found out that the seeds were sent by his relatives and friends from overseas and sometimes carried by himself when entering Taiwan. Steven used special equipment to grow the cannabis including plates, potting soil and lighting devices and sold his harvest through drug trafficking channel to make profits.
According to police’s investigation, Steven has two jobs during the day including giving lectures at a golf club and [color=#FF0000]teaching English[/color] in a school.[/quote][quote=“China Post on 11-20-2009”][color=#FF0000]Anti-drug plan begins[/color]
TAIPEI, Taiwan – The National Police Agency (NPA) kicked off early this morning a large-scale drug crackdown campaign in line with the official implementation of a set of amendments to the Narcotics Endangerment Prevention Act, which will start to impose criminal punishment on those who take or hold less than 20 grams of Ketamine.
Under the amendments, those who hold or take less than 20 grams of grade-3 narcotics such as Ketamine, or grade-4 stabilizer narcotics will be subject to a fine of NT$10,000 to NT$50,000, and four to eight hours of instruction courses.
Accordingly, if juveniles and students who are caught taking Ketamine fail to pay the fines, the administrative enforcement units under the Ministry of Justice will enforce the collection of fines from them.
As to those who hold over 20 grams of the grade-3 and grade-4 narcotics will face a jail term of less than three years.
Lin Der-hua, commissioner of the Criminal Investigation Bureau under the NPA, said that those who try to commit suicide by taking powerful benzodiazepam as FM2 and Erinim purchased from non-medical units will be prosecuted if they fail the suicide attempt.
Based on the revised Narcotics Endangerment Prevention Act, those who are found taking a large amount of narcotics will be imposed heavier jail terms than before.
For instance, those who hold 10 grams and over of heroin (grade-1 narcotics) will face an imprisonment of over one year and under seven years.
Those who hold 20 grams and over of amphetamine (grade-2 drug) will be sentenced to over six months and under five years in jail.
Those who hold 20 grams and over of Ketamine (grade-3 drug) will be imprisoned for less than three years, and those who hold 20 grams and over of grade-4 stabilizer drugs will be jailed for less than one year.
The Ministry of Justice yesterday invited a female police serving at the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office to serve as the anti-drug spokesperson, calling for nationals to join the anti-drug campaign.
Taking Ketamine is allegedly quite rampant in university campuses, constituting a big challenge to the police in maintaining social order.
According to statistics compiled by the Ministry of Justice, the police and investigation agents confiscated a total of 523.7 kilograms of Ketamine in the first eight months of 2008, but the figure already doubled to 1,045.2 kilograms in the same eight months of this year, indicating the rampant drug abuse among young people.[/quote]
[quote=“enzo+”]There we go again.
Seen on TV this afternoon: Teacher ‘Steven’ at golf training center in Taichung caught growing marijuana at home and dealing in local clubs. Police found 57 g of the product and 3,500 ‘seeds.’
Dare I mention his country of origin? To protect the sensitive, here is the censored version: Cxxxxa.
I guess the full story will be in the papers tomorrow morning.[/quote]
3 in one month. I think Almas John has got a hold of a voodoo book against Canadian foreign educationalists and is creating great disturbances in the force.
Golf and teaching? Well, he sounds more entrepreneurial than a lot of educational service employees in Taiwan :roflmao:
Any bets when the next bust will be?
[quote=“Chewycorns”]
Any bets when the next bust will be?[/quote]
Whoever the 3 of these rat out. 
And they’ll most likely be Canadian. :aiyo:
[quote=“almas john”]
But seriously folks, there seem to be a lot of young chaps who feel they are immune/invincible. If you know anyone who is at risk, could be a good time to give them a friendly but stern talking to.[/quote]
I agree and support you 110%.
But I don’t think you’re going far enough, it’s OK to talk to them and try to get them to see reason, but more pro-active measures are required.
I challenge every Formosan who has a friend or acquintance that is regularly abusing drugs to get them to take ALL their drugs and get rid of them, it’s the kind of symbolic act that can really dramtically kick start an effort to get clean, no matter how hard it is.
As to WHERE they can get rid of their drugs, PM me for a convenient [strike]drop off[/strike] uh, disposal location.