Kuomintang legislator Li Yanxiu said at the Kuomintang anti-drug rally yesterday (9th) that in the future, social workers will provide drug addicts with drugs and poisons in the community to make them addicted, which will be very harmful to the community. This statement immediately triggered an uproar in public opinion. The National Federation of Social Workers Associations of the Republic of China issued a statement to refute it, emphasizing that social workers are not drug providers. Please stop misleading the professional role of social work and return addiction prevention to science and professionalism. It also asked Li Yanxiu to publicly apologize to social workers.
The National Federation of Social Workers Associations of the Republic of China issued a statement last night stating that in response to the recent public discussions triggered by drug prevention policies, legislator Li Yanxiu mentioned at a public event that in the future, social workers may provide drugs to drug users in the community and cause harm to the community. This statement has involved a wrong connection between the professional role of social work and drug harm reduction policies, which can easily lead to public misunderstanding and distrust of frontline social workers.
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The National Federation of Social Workers Associations of the Republic of China issued a three-point solemn statement: First, social workers are important professionals in addiction prevention and social recovery, not drug providers. The social work major has long-term investment in drug addiction prevention and treatment, psychosocial support, family relationship repair, community resource linkage and social rehabilitation services. In the current drug prevention and addiction treatment system, social workers mainly help drug users reduce risks, receive treatment, and gradually restore social functions through professional assessment, case management, family support, crisis management, and inter-professional cooperation.
Describing social workers as providing drugs in the community and promoting people's addiction is not only inconsistent with the professional responsibilities of social work, but also easily causes the public to have unnecessary doubts about front-line social workers. The Association emphasizes that social workers are professional helpers who assist drug users towards recovery and social reintegration, rather than promoting drug abuse.
2. Drug harm reduction does not mean encouraging drug use, nor does it mean arbitrarily providing drugs. The core spirit of "Harm Reduction" discussed in the field of international public health is to reduce the health and social harm caused by drug use, including risks of infectious diseases, overdose, family dysfunction, and social exclusion.
Harm reduction strategies do not mean encouraging people to use drugs, nor can harm reduction measures in different countries and under different legal systems be directly equated with Taiwan's current community social work services. In particular, methadol replacement therapy falls within the scope of medical professionalism and regulatory management and cannot be confused with the case management and community support work of social workers. Opposing the harms of drugs does not conflict with supporting evidence-based addiction prevention and treatment. A truly effective anti-drug policy should be based on scientific evidence, interprofessional cooperation and a complete social support system.
3. Public figures should speak prudently to avoid misinformation that may harm the social work profession and its service recipients. Social workers have long been on the front line of social problems, and their clients include drug addicts, patients with mental illness, violent families, children and other people in vulnerable situations. When public figures link social workers with drug supply without sufficient clarification, it may not only damage the professional image of social workers, but may also deepen society's stigma against drug users and reduce the willingness of clients and their families to seek professional assistance.
The Association respects the discussion and supervision of drug prevention policies from different political standpoints, and recognizes the importance of ensuring the safety of children, children and the community. However, policies can be debated, and the profession should not be misinterpreted; the system can be reviewed, but frontline professional social workers should not become the targets of distortion and misunderstanding under political attack and defense.
The National Federation of Social Workers Associations of the Republic of China made three specific appeals: First, ask Commissioner Li Yanxiu to publicly apologize to social workers. For the statement that social workers will provide drugs in the community, a public apology should be made to the social workers to prevent the public from misunderstanding that the professional work of social workers involves providing drugs or promoting addiction in others.
Second, please ask the Ministry of Health and Welfare to take the initiative to explain the professional division of labor in our country’s addiction prevention and harm reduction policies. The roles and responsibilities of medical personnel, social workers, drug harm prevention centers and other professionals should be clearly defined so that the public can correctly understand my country's current addiction treatment, harm reduction services and community support measures.
Third, we call on all walks of life to pay attention to the institutional construction of addiction recovery and community support services. Effective drug prevention cannot rely solely on detection and punishment, but also requires accessible addiction treatment, family support, employment assistance, psychosocial treatment and long-term tracking services. The government should continue to strengthen front-line professional manpower and cross-network cooperation mechanisms to prevent drug users from being excluded from the service system due to stigma and lack of resources.
The National Federation of Social Workers Associations of the Republic of China reiterates that social workers are not drug providers, but an important professional force in addiction prevention and treatment, family support and social recovery. The fight against drugs should not replace professionalism with stigma, and policy debates should not replace facts with misinformation. Drug addiction is not only a legal issue, but also a common issue for public health, mental health, family and social support. We look forward to the government and opposition parties returning to rationality, science and professionalism, and jointly constructing drug prevention policies that take into account community safety, public health, social support and human dignity.
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