Hong Shan said that because cigarette cartridges are easy to use, users may use them while driving, working or taking transportation, which increases the risk of accidents and public safety; the picture shows the situation. (Picture taken from freepik)
[Central News Agency] In recent years, the emerging drug etomidate in "zombie cartridges" has spread rapidly. Doctors warned that the animal anesthetic "tiletamine" is not strictly controlled and may become the next etomidate. The Police Department responded that before abuse, tiletamine was ranked as a first-class drug with etomidate.
The Health Affairs Center of Taipei Medical University held a seminar on "Legislative Reform and Governance Strategies for Emerging Drug Prevention" this afternoon. It systematically discussed the crime trends and investigation mechanisms of zombie cigarettes from the four major aspects of legal reform, crime prevention, medical treatment and child protection, and further gathered the consensus among the government, medical community and civil society on emerging drug prevention and cross-sector cooperation mechanisms.
Hong Shan, the attending physician at the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Suicide Prevention and Treatment Center of the Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Medical University, pointed out that etomidate was first mainly used for sedation and anesthesia. In recent years, etomidate has gradually transformed from medical use to an emerging substance of abuse, and has been added to e-cigarette cartridges, giving rise to common names such as "top cigarettes", "zombie cigarettes" or "magic cartridges".
Hong Shan said that because cigarette cartridges are easy to use, users may use them while driving, working or taking transportation, which increases the risk of accidents and public safety. Etomidate may cause altered consciousness, decreased muscle tone, or a "zombie"-like state of immobility, which is particularly dangerous if this occurs while driving.
She believes that in addition to the controlled substances themselves, reducing the convenience of use is a direction that can be considered to reduce harm. In contrast, some traditional drugs require specific equipment or methods of administration, making it difficult for users to use them immediately in driving and other situations. Adding e-cigarette cartridges to e-cigarettes is highly convenient, so how to reduce the convenience of obtaining and using them is an issue that public health and harm reduction policies should pay attention to.
Hong Shan pointed out that in addition to etomidate, another concern is the animal anesthetic "tiletamine". This type of substance, like etomidate, originally had medical or animal medical uses, but if there are loopholes in control, acquisition or circulation, it may be diverted to illegal uses.
Zheng Weihao, deputy captain of the Third Investigation Brigade of the Criminal Police Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs and executive secretary of the Drug Enforcement Center, said that the speed of drug substitution is beyond imagination. During the process of investigating drug manufacturing factories, the police discovered the substance "tiletamine". After further investigation, they found that the drug market had already begun to look for substitute substances other than etomidate.
"We are still discussing etomidate and amending the law. People have already been looking for alternative drugs." Zheng Weihao said that in the face of the problem of rapid substitution of emerging drugs, the drug control system has continued to adjust. He thanks the Legislative Yuan for supporting the relevant amendments. In the future, management will be strengthened in the direction of "one-time control", that is, substances with similar structures or effects will be included in the control.
"One-time listing" can avoid having to wait until emerging drugs become popular before amending the law one by one. Zheng Weihao pointed out that this time, in response to the control trend of etomidate, "tiletamine" was put under control in advance before it spread on a large scale and was listed as a first-class drug. He hoped that through early control, it would reduce the risk of its further entry into the drug market and expansion of abuse.
