The use of illicit drugs in Taiwan is now most prevalent among people in their 20s and represents a growing concern because of the effect it could have on the productivity of young people, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official Tsay Wen-ing (蔡文瑛) said yesterday.
Tsay, the director of the FDA’s Division of Controlled Drugs, told an anti-drug campaign conference that people aged 24 to 29 have replaced those aged 30 to 39 as the age group with the highest prevalence of drug use.
The statistics are reflected in hospital data from 2013 to last year on reported incidents of illicit drug use, which showed that people in their 20s were the most common (43.9 percent) first-time users, followed by those 19 or under (26.4 percent) and those in their 30s (21.1 percent).
“The increasing prevalence of young people experimenting with drugs is a mounting concern for the government, especially since those 24 to 29 are the backbone of economic productivity,” Tsay said.
“Drug use affects not only people’s health, but also increases workplace accidents and poses a threat to productivity,” she said.
“The most commonly abused are Class B drugs, among which methamphetamines are the most widely used,” she said. “Use of these drugs can result in hallucinations, which can lead to actions that kill people.”
“The FDA has begun to mobilize resources to raise awareness of drug use and prevention,” Tsay said.
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