A Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator yesterday said the government should follow the Philippines’ example in fighting illegal drugs by executing drug dealers.
Concern over the rise of new forms of recreational drugs and their spread in schools and society in general was the focus of yesterday’s meeting of the legislature’s Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statues Committee.
KMT Legislator Lin Te-fu (林德福) proposed a solution to the drug problem, which is to follow in the footsteps of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
“We should learn from Duterte. He has done well to arrest drug offenders and execute them,” Lin said.
“Because of this, the crime rate in the Philippines is down. Duterte is well-supported by his people for his war on drugs. He remains very popular in his country and has a very high approval rating,” Lin said.
Minister of Justice Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) said that imposing even harsher prison sentences is not the solution, but rather increasing the fine and offering treatment to drug addicts.
The Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例) already stipulates that those who manufacture, transport or sell category 1 narcotics, including heroin, opium and cocaine, are to receive death or life imprisonment, while those dealing in cannabis, amphetamines and other category 2 drugs face a minimum of seven years in prison, Chiu said.
“Realistically, there is no room to increase the severity of these terms of punishment,” Chiu said, suggesting that the cap on fines for drug offenses could be raised by up to 50 percent.
He also recommended revising the law to enable the judiciary to confiscate all the profits and assets that an offender made from illegal drug dealings.
The current law only allows authorities to seize profits made from a single drug transaction.
Legislators and government officials also discussed the need to amend the law to deal with new forms of drugs and practices.
Police investigations have shown that new types of recreational drugs and psychoactive substances are spreading in schools and society, many of which come in fancy packagings, such as candy, coffee power and beverages, to lure young people.
The government is stepping up efforts to prevent drugs from entering schools or drug dealers from making contact with students so as to protect young people from becoming addicts early in life, Chiu said.
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