Former prosecutor Chen Yongming: The drug harm reduction policy originated from Tainan’s pilot program 20 years ago

Regarding the drug harm reduction policy that has caused controversy between the green and blue in the recent Taipei mayoral election, Chen Yongming, a former prosecutor of the Tainan District Prosecutor's Office (pictured), said on the 4th that the starting point of this harm reduction plan was jointly promoted by the former Tainan County Government and the Southern District Prosecutor's Office 21 years ago. (File photo, taken by reporter Wang Junzhong)

Recently, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wanan and Democratic Progressive Party Taipei mayoral candidate Shen Boyang have been involved in a fierce offensive, defensive and online debate over drug control policies. Chen Yongming, a former prosecutor of the Tainan District Attorney's Office and now a lawyer, wrote an article today (4th) that the issue of drug reduction and alternative therapy that the two sides dispute was first initiated by former Tainan County Deputy County Mayor Yan Chunzuo in 2005. At one time, some people even wanted to sue Yan Chunzuo for malfeasance. After learning about it, the Tainan District Prosecutor's Office thought it was a good intention and supported it.

Chen Yongming said that at that time, there were free sterilized needles (the purpose was to combat the spread of AIDS); then methadol attenuated substitution therapy was introduced, but due to legal restrictions under the Drug Harm Prevention Regulations, someone once filed a lawsuit against Yan Chunzuo for malfeasance in office.

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The then Chief Prosecutor of the Tainan District Prosecutor's Office, Zhu Chaoliang, understood Yan Chunzuo's philosophy of drug reduction and turned to support Yan's ideas. He also asked the then chief prosecutor of the Southern District Prosecutor's Office, Zheng Mingqian (now the Minister of Justice), and prosecutor Zeng Zhaokai (now the prosecutor of the Tainan High Division Prosecutor's Office) to help solve the dilemma of application of the law, and use the new legal system of deferred prosecution to cooperate in the trial implementation, which achieved remarkable results.

Chen Yongming said that this drug-reducing alternative therapy started in Tainan and was eventually promoted as a nationwide drug prevention policy. Subsequently, social workers were introduced to station at health centers to help patients receiving methadone treatment return to society. The experimental plan was also piloted by the former Tainan County Government Social Affairs Bureau in cooperation with the prosecutors, and later became a national policy.

At that time, the Tainan County Government was able to promote these experimental policies and receive recognition. Chen Yuming bluntly said that Su Huanzhi, then Tainan County Magistrate, had the courage to take charge of the affairs and pioneered the policy; Yan Chunzuo's medical expertise and benevolence, Zhu Chaoliang's drastic reforms, and the caution and meticulousness of prosecutors such as Zheng Mingqian and Zeng Zhaokai were all indispensable.

Chen Yongming also said that although drug addicts are punished as criminals, their plight as patients is also taken into consideration. The transformation of this concept in China began as early as when former President Ma Ying-jeou was the Minister of Justice, and observation and rehabilitation began to be supplemented with addiction treatment in addition to punishment. When Ma Ying-jeou was the mayor of Taipei, Taipei City was also a trial area for early methadone substitution therapy. When Ma Ying-jeou was president, the then Minister of Justice Wang Qingfeng and the Department of Health intensified the promotion, and established a drug harm prevention center in the national health department. In addition to judicial cooperation between medical personnel, prosecutors and police, permanent social workers were also included to counsel recovering addicts. Chen believes that drug harm reduction is a long-established national drug policy, but implementation methods must be constantly revised in response to the development of emerging drugs and changes in social conditions.

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Dr. Yan Chunzuo, who served as the deputy mayor of the original Tainan County and the deputy mayor of Tainan City after the merger of Nanxian City and Nanxian City, which became one of the six cities. (Taken from Yan Chunzuo’s Facebook)

Minister of Justice Zheng Mingqian. (File photo, taken by reporter Wang Junzhong)