Taiwan and lack of a drug problem

Taiwan Living in Taiwan
41

There was a huge heroin drug bust yesterday. NT$2 billion worth of smack was found on a fishing boat.

I’ve been to a club in Taoyuan on a Sunday afternoon where they pass out mini straws (I would have used a 1000 dollar bill or even a two thousand dollar bill if I wanted to be a baller). Folks were openly doing lines of K on the tables and bar. There was a completely naked girl giving lap dances.

Ever been to those slot machine parlors? They used to be more common in Taipei county, but not so much anymore. Ever been there at 4:00 am? Tweekers, all of them.

Did you know they sell little lightbulbs at 7-11. Why would they carry it? Because they sell out and fast… Especially in the middle of the night. It’s used to make a crack pipe.

My point is, just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there. You have to know where to look and what to look for.

42

[quote=“kaikai34”]There was a huge heroin drug bust yesterday. NT$2 billion worth of smack was found on a fishing boat.

I’ve been to a club in Taoyuan on a Sunday afternoon where they pass out mini straws (I would have used a 1000 dollar bill or even a two thousand dollar bill if I wanted to be a baller). Folks were openly doing lines of K on the tables and bar. There was a completely naked girl giving lap dances.

Ever been to those slot machine parlors? They used to be more common in Taipei county, but not so much anymore. Ever been there at 4:00 am? Tweekers, all of them.

Did you know they sell little lightbulbs at 7-11. Why would they carry it? Because they sell out and fast… Especially in the middle of the night. It’s used to make a crack pipe.

My point is, just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there. You have to know where to look and what to look for.[/quote]

The OP traveled around Taiwan and made some superficial observations. It seems the OP can’t read Chinese, so is pretty much unable to understand what is going on here from abroad. Just because it isn’t visible doesn’t mean it’s not there: drug use is hidden here while it’s out on the streets in the US. I have said this once already. Kaikai34 just said it. Think about it OP – we are not making this up. This isn’t even debatable, I provided a link to a government report saying that 80% of the crimes that put people in jail in Taiwan are drug related. I think that qualifies as a problem…

Regarding other cultural stuff that was posted, what about gambling? That’s a massive problem in Taiwan. What about affairs? Again, very common. These are two counter-examples to the cultural argument given before. It took me about 2 seconds to think of them.

43

“Give me your tired, your poor (except Taiwanese), your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…”

44

Taiwan doesn’t have really have a drug problem because we are mostly not affected by the effects of drug abuse in our daily lives. That’s the way I see it. There are no real safety or vandalism or public nuisance or begging or shoplifting or violent robbery problems.

Choosing a nightclub in Taoyuan is like choosing Compton to represent the whole of the US.

Where I come from you can’t but help but encounter the negative effects of drug abuse everyday.

Gambling is part of Chinese culture. Affairs? Seriously what are you on about?

45

[quote=“kaikai34”]
Did you know they sell little lightbulbs at 7-11. Why would they carry it? Because they sell out and fast… Especially in the middle of the night. It’s used to make a crack pipe.[/quote]

Gotto call bullshit here.

You can make a crack pipe out of a coke can. Its much easier than the lightbulb thing, any crackhead knows that. Maybe this is why they sell coke cans? Those little, tall skinny ones would be excellent actually.

No, they sell those light bulbs because people use them as…well, lightbulbs.

46

[quote=“Confuzius”][quote=“kaikai34”]
Did you know they sell little lightbulbs at 7-11. Why would they carry it? Because they sell out and fast… Especially in the middle of the night. It’s used to make a crack pipe.[/quote]

Gotto call bullshit here.

You can make a crack pipe out of a coke can. Its much easier than the lightbulb thing, any crackhead knows that. Maybe this is why they sell coke cans? Those little, tall skinny ones would be excellent actually.

No, they sell those light bulbs because people use them as…well, lightbulbs.[/quote]

Alright, it’s used as a part in a meth water bong, to be precise. The bulb’s base or screw cap is removed and then you pull out the filament. Then a bendy straw is connected to the hole which goes into a small Yakult bottle filled with water. Another bendy straw comes up out of the bottle and voila. Pretty ingenious if you ask me.

47

Partially correct. The light bulb IS used for meth rather than crack. However, water isn’t necessary, and rarely used.

Meth smokes easier than crack, which would, urm, crack the thin light bulb.

And there’s fuck-all crack in Taiwan. With cocaine going for around 10k a gram, one would have to be a multi-millionaire to sustain a crack habit here.

48

There’s a lot of underground addict cells in Taiwan, especially with H. It’s just that junkies here don’t panhandle at Zhongxiao-Fuxing.

49

Correct. I see recently used insulin syringes every day on my walk to work and back. Lying in cute little clusters at the entrances to alleyways. Just because they’re not shooting up in the park in broad daylight, doesn’t mean they’re not getting their hits.

50

[quote=“headhonchoII”]Taiwan doesn’t have really have a drug problem because we are mostly not affected by the effects of drug abuse in our daily lives. That’s the way I see it. There are no real safety or vandalism or public nuisance or begging or shoplifting or violent robbery problems.

Choosing a nightclub in Taoyuan is like choosing Compton to represent the whole of the US.

Where I come from you can’t but help but encounter the negative effects of drug abuse everyday.

Gambling is part of Chinese culture. Affairs? Seriously what are you on about?[/quote]

again, i agree with head honcho. as ive said many times before, im sure taiwan like any country has drug users. but is it a major epidemic that afflicts society and country as a whole like it is here in the u.s. where i am?? no, i dont believe so. i know people who live in taiwan and taiwanese who live in the u.s. who have family in taiwan. they’ve all said the drug problem they have in taiwan does not even compare to what we have here in the u.s. it is MUCH worse in the u.s.

51

[quote=“forealz”]
again, I agree with head honcho. as ive said many times before, im sure taiwan like any country has drug users. but is it a major epidemic that afflicts society and country as a whole like it is here in the u.s. where I am?? no, I don’t believe so. I know people who live in taiwan and taiwanese who live in the u.s. who have family in Taiwan. they’ve all said the drug problem they have in taiwan does not even compare to what we have here in the u.s. it is MUCH worse in the u.s.[/quote]

So now you admit that Taiwan has a drug problem (contrary to the title of this thread)? Does it really take pages and pages of anecdotal evidence (from news sources, government publications, and people who actually live in this country) to assure readers that there is a drug abuse problem here? Am I alone in believing that any use of harmful drugs is a problem, whether 1% or 10% of the population is involved?

It is just common sense that any area with access to (illicit, illegal) drugs will have individuals who use and abuse them? Taiwan is an island, has harsh penalties for drug trafficking, and is a densely population nation where secrets are hard to hide. Thus, there is naturally less access to illicit substances and use of such substances is forced underground, far from the curious gazes of tourists. The observation of one tourist that there are no evident signs of drug abuse is hardly surprising and barely deserves mention.

In terms of the cultural issue, I have yet to read any convincing explanation of how “Asian” culture is somehow resistant to use of illicit drugs or is, in any measurable way, disinclined towards substance abuse. From my experience: 1) as far as I can recall, it was the Chinese who introduced opium to the world on a large scale and 2) the rates for tobacco and alcohol abuse seem relatively higher in Taiwan than in the Western nations that I have visited. However, these observations are based only on my (admittedly) limited personal experience.

Let’s stop beating this dead horse unless we have something sturdier than mere switches with which to beat said carcass.

52

@ niaoahgin, i’m not admitting anything as some of the commenters and i seem to be having a difference in definition for “drug problem”. to me having some citizens who use drugs is not a problem. that’s to be expected in any country. no, 1% of the population who use drugs is not a problem. to most countries ravaged with drug problems they would consider that a success. using betel nuts and smoking cigs is not a drug problem. you might as well consider caffeinated coffee as a drug then. personally i dont even consider marijuana a major drug. i know pot is a much bigger deal in taiwan than it is in the u.s. so i wouldnt be surprised if the taiwanese would think they have an epidemic on their hands if a bunch of their taiwanese youth smoked a joint every so often and passes down life sentences for it. head honcho here is the only one who seems to know what i’ve been trying to say when i say “drug problem”. i dont know what country you’re from but if you lived here in the u.s. you know what i’m talking about when i say drug problem. enuff said.

also, the fact that drug abuse among the asian-american population as a whole and among young asian-americans is extremely low compared to other ethnic groups says a lot despite the fact that asian-americans have the incomes to attain drugs just like their caucasian-american counterparts. i really attest that to culture and maybe good parenting and should be widely studied.

53

I have a real drug problem… I can’t get enough of them.

54

I guess there’s a lot of subjectivity involved in determining the point at which a situation ought to be declared a problem, but there are some people here in Taiwan who have expressed the opinion that there’s a problem (the quotes below are old; for all I know, the situation may have changed):

[quote]Substance and drug abuse in Taiwan appears to be heading toward harder drugs. In the 1970s, sporadic cases of glue sniffing were reported, and, in the 1980s, incidences of sedative abuse were occasionally uncovered. By the early 1990s, the drug of choice was amphetamines and heroin. Although there were fewer than 9,000 addicts in the Taiwan area in 1999, it is estimated that more than 200,000 people (or nearly 1 percent of the total population) are currently abusing at least one substance, primarily methamphetamine or heroin.[/quote]–“Public Health,” Republic of China Yearbook, Government Information Office website, 2001 gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5- … pt15-9.htm

[quote=“In 1995, then-Minister of Justice Ma Ying-jeou”]On May 11, 1993, a prosecutor directed the police to raid a fishing vessel entering Tungkang Harbor, 110 kilometers south of Chiayi City, and seized 336 kilograms of high-grade heroin smuggled from the Chinese mainland. The estimated retail price of these drugs, US$337 million, made it the largest single heroin seizure in Taiwan’s history. It was said to be enough heroin to serve 10,000 addicts for a full year.

The year 1993 saw a record volume of drug seizures. The authorities seized 1,114 kilograms of heroin, morphine and marijuana, and 3,357 kilograms of methamphetamine, up 133 percent and 17 percent respectively from 1992. In fact, there were more heroin seizures in 1993 than in the previous nine years combined, and the amount seized in 1993 was a 23-fold increase over the level in 1989.

No one can say exactly how many people use drugs in Taiwan today. But police observations and inmate confessions support an assumption that law enforcement actions reach 20 percent to 25 percent of the users. On this basis, the total user population would be around 200,000 people, four or five times the number of convicted users, or about 1 percent of Taiwan’s 21 million population. But the public health community has higher estimates, 300,000 or more. Whether 200,000 or 300,000, the size seems large enough to consume not only the huge amount of drugs seized but also those not seized.

In the last 15 months, drug users have tended to shift away from methamphetamine to either heroin alone or a mixed use of heroin and methamphetamine.

In sum, narcotic drugs from Southeast Asia and mainland China have invaded Taiwan in an unprecedented fashion.[/quote]

taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=13012&CtNode=122

55

I know someone who I think used to be a heroin junkie… plus I have seen a few ex or current junkies when I was doing my military time. Also like people have said, seems the more common illegal drugs here are K and ecstasy, at least at clubs. I have personally not been exposed to illegal drugs at all, both in Taiwan and in the US.

56

The threads title makes me wonder.

Have I all these years misinterpreted the meaning of lack?

Shouldn’t the title be " Taiwan and the absence of a drug problem"?
Or is the OP in search for drugs and can’t find any? In this case the title seams to be adequate.

By the way Taiwan has a huge problem with addiction. People here are very compulsive. Just watch their shopping habits and think these items were drugs.

There is a huge number of young people here sniffing glue and all kinds of nasty shit.
I know a high school here in Taipei were the students have to give urine samples from time to time.
And their favourite English vocabulary was Amphetamine.

57

The situation in Taiwan is getting worse in terms of drug use – skyrocketing is the word that should be used. I’ve seen the stats in a recent publication (Summer, 2012). The government has admitted it is a serious problem and they are actually trying to prevent further escalation. There’s lots of info about this online but it’s all in Chinese.

58

[quote=“forealz”]@ niaoahgin, I’m not admitting anything as some of the commenters and i seem to be having a difference in definition for “drug problem”. to me having some citizens who use drugs is not a problem. that’s to be expected in any country. no, 1% of the population who use drugs is not a problem. to most countries ravaged with drug problems they would consider that a success. using betel nuts and smoking cigs is not a drug problem. you might as well consider caffeinated coffee as a drug then. personally I don’t even consider marijuana a major drug. I know pot is a much bigger deal in taiwan than it is in the u.s. so i wouldnt be surprised if the taiwanese would think they have an epidemic on their hands if a bunch of their taiwanese youth smoked a joint every so often and passes down life sentences for it. head honcho here is the only one who seems to know what I’ve been trying to say when I say “drug problem”. I don’t know what country you’re from but if you lived here in the u.s. you know what I’m talking about when I say drug problem. enuff said.

also, the fact that drug abuse among the asian-american population as a whole and among young asian-americans is extremely low compared to other ethnic groups says a lot despite the fact that asian-americans have the incomes to attain drugs just like their caucasian-american counterparts. i really attest that to culture and maybe good parenting and should be widely studied.[/quote]

I’m sorry. Your Asian American population argument is idiotic: China, which has a bigger drug problem than the US, is a country in Asia. There are Chinese Americans. They can be called Asian Americans, as well. I’ll take your word for it that there is a lower rate of drug use in that population. So, how could it be culture? Chinese people use drugs! :unamused: I tried to explain this earlier, but you decided to ignore it in favor of thinking in absolute terms.

By the way, I’m American. I lived in the US for 24 years. I am white. I am from a lower income family. Drug use has not been an issue for me ever in any way. All of my friends growing up were clean. In College, I was surrounded by the hardest working, most focused people I’ve known. Drugs couldn’t be farther from our minds. This is all anecdotal, of course, but you are exaggerating the problem in the US. The problem in the US is worse than Taiwan, I’m sure, but it is extremely easy to avoid. In fact, the chance of me getting killed in a drug related accident in Taiwan is far higher than in the US – I’m talking about high rates of drinking and driving in a city that lacks sidewalks. And yes, alcohol is a drug.

59

From the United Nations:

‘‘The largest methamphetamine seizures at the global level during this period were made by China, Thailand, USA, and Taiwan, Prov. of China.’’
---------I can’t see how Taiwan can be listed as having one of the largest methamphetamine seizures in the world without having a drug problem.

'According to the UN, in 2002, 2003, 2004, more meth was sized in Taiwan than the US. In overall rankings from 2000-2006, Taiwan is ranked just under the US. China is ranked first with more than double that of the US.

60

[quote=“archylgp”]From the United Nations:

‘‘The largest methamphetamine seizures at the global level during this period were made by China, Thailand, USA, and Taiwan, Prov. of China.’’

I can’t see how Taiwan can be listed as having one of the largest methamphetamine seizures in the world without having a drug problem.[/quote]

Why? Organized crime here operates worldwide. Drug smuggling is the only dream ever realized from plans for Taiwan to be an APROC.