As the Taipei mayoral election campaign continues to focus on drug issues, Tainan Mayor Huang Weizhe posted on Facebook today, saying, "Some people create the topic, but Tainan creates the system!" Tainan was the first county or city in the country to implement methadone substitution therapy, which started as early as 2005 during the original Tainan County period. It was initially promoted and subsequently gradually became a national drug prevention policy and a model for national drug prevention and harm reduction policies; it called on the public to support public health harm reduction practices, gave drug addicts the opportunity for treatment and a fresh start, and helped more people get rid of drug addiction and return to normal life.
In 2014, Taipei mayoral candidate Shen Boyang of the Democratic Progressive Party talked about drug-related articles. The blue camp questioned his anti-drug stance. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wanan even bombarded him through Facebook. More than 340,000 messages appeared in 12 hours to "remind the mayor" about drug treatment methods in 2021. It was co-signed by Chiang Wanan, the then legislator. At noon today, there were 400,000 messages, sparking a debate.
Huang Weizhe said that Dr. Yan Chunzuo, who was the deputy county magistrate of Tainan County at the time, pushed forward the provision of sterilized needles with his medical expertise, and subsequently combined with methadone replacement therapy to allow patients to reduce infections caused by shared needles and gradually escape drug control through medical intervention. The then Prosecutor General Zhu Chaoliang, Chief Prosecutor Zheng Mingqian and Prosecutor Zeng Zhaokai helped solve the difficulties in the application of laws in the early stages of policy promotion. With the joint efforts of the legal and medical circles, Tainan took the lead in taking a crucial step to accumulate experience from local practice and then set a model for the whole of Taiwan.
The Nan City Government stated that the problem of drug addiction involves different levels of medical care, public health and social support. In addition to drug detection, how to reduce the health and social harm caused by drug addiction through medical treatment and counseling, and to help patients stabilize treatment and return to normal life, is also an important part of drug prevention work. Currently, Tainan City uses designated medical institutions, combined with satellite medication points and follow-up case counseling, to help drug addiction cases receive stable treatment.
The Tainan City Government stated that since its establishment in 1995, the Tainan City Government's Drug Harm Prevention Center has continued to promote diversified addiction treatment and harm reduction programs, including methadone substitution treatment, on-site social worker counseling and other measures. It has long been engaged in drug harm prevention work and has been recognized as "excellent" by the Central Government's joint inspection team in six cities. Local groups such as Yongxin Halfway Home Happy Farm within its jurisdiction have also won the National Anti-Drug Group Award, demonstrating the results of the government and the private sector working together to fight drugs and help drug addicts return to society.
