A pharmacist on Xinchun Street, Tamsui District, New Taipei City, allegedly put controlled drugs into the water bottle of a female college student. After drinking the drug, the female college student developed symptoms such as dizziness and confusion. The case has entered judicial investigation. The National Federation of Pharmacists Association stated today that it will never tolerate any behavior that uses drugs to harm others. If it is verified by judicial and competent authorities to be true, it will "never protect shortcomings and never condone". Punishment can be imposed in accordance with the "Pharmacist Law", and the pharmacist certificate can be revoked at the most.
It is understood that the incident occurred in a pharmacy in Tamsui District, and the victim was a female college student who worked in the pharmacy as a pharmacist assistant. She alleged that on August 26, she discovered that the pharmacist surnamed Chen had opened her personal water bottle. When she drank the water, she noticed that it tasted bitter, was turbid and powdery, and then she developed symptoms such as dizziness, rapid heartbeat, and confusion. After receiving the report, the police launched an investigation and found that the liquid in the kettle tested positive for benzodiazepines (BZD). They also seized relevant monitor footage and the whole case has entered judicial proceedings. Pharmacist surnamed Chen later claimed to the media that he used expired drugs to "test the efficacy" and "as a joke." The relevant statement and the facts of the case still need to be clarified by the judiciary.
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Huang Jinshun, honorary chairman of the All Federation of Pharmacists Association, said that after seeing the relevant reports, he had discussed the matter with the current chairman of the All Federation and believed that the incident was "too serious." If the situation is indeed as known to the outside world, it is extremely inappropriate for a professional who is familiar with drugs to behave like this, and it will seriously damage the image of pharmacists.
Huang Huangshun pointed out that he has asked the New Taipei City Pharmacists Association to understand the ins and outs of the entire incident. The case is still under investigation and the association must first grasp the facts. However, if it is ultimately confirmed to be true, "the association will never cover up or condone it" and should be transferred to relevant disciplinary procedures; he personally advocates the harshest punishment.
Li Yixuan, deputy secretary-general of the All-Pharmacists Association, said that pharmacists are pharmaceutical professionals and have a high degree of professional and legal responsibility especially for controlled drugs. The All-Pharmacists Association will never tolerate any behavior that harms others with drugs, and the illegal behavior of a few individuals cannot represent the entire pharmacists. Since this case has involved criminal liability and has entered judicial investigation, the association itself has no investigative power and must still wait for preliminary investigation results and clear evidence.
Li Yixuan pointed out that once there is clear evidence that violations of relevant laws and regulations are involved, the local pharmacists association or local health authorities can transfer punishment according to the "Pharmacist Law". Punitive sanctions include limiting the scope of practice, suspending business for more than one month and less than one year, revoking the practice license, etc. The most severe ones can be "revoking the pharmacist certificate", which will have a significant impact on the pharmacist's career.
As for the benzodiazepine (BZD) drugs detected in this case, Li Yixuan said that these drugs, depending on their composition and action time, can be used to fight anxiety, improve insomnia, sedation or anti-epilepsy, etc. They can affect people's mental state and nerve conduction, so they must be strictly managed.
Li Yixuan said that if identifiable controlled drugs are to be recycled and destroyed, they should be registered and stored in a centralized manner in accordance with the law, and should be destroyed and recorded in conjunction with the local health authorities. They cannot be used arbitrarily. As for the actual source of the drugs in this case and whether they are expired drugs as claimed by the pharmacist involved in the case, further clarification is still pending in the judicial investigation.
