Free Lecture》Ask A, please answer A——Looking at honesty and trustworthiness from the perspective of drug policy disputes

“The shortcomings of glamor can be traced back to the following: it begins with hypocrisy and ends with shamelessness.” This warning reminds us that once public speech loses its integrity, facts may be replaced by political slogans.

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wanan publicly asked Shen Boyang: "Where should we set up a community center to distribute drugs?" Legislator Luo Zhiqiang and others also launched a political attack and defense by "opposing the Shen Boyang community center to distribute drugs."

However, Chiang Wanan himself is the director of the Taipei City Government’s Drug Hazard Prevention Center.

The "Key Points for the Establishment of the Taipei City Government's Drug Hazard Prevention Center" clearly stipulates: "This center will have one director, who will also serve as the mayor."

What would Jiang Wanan do on his own?

On October 7, 2026, the Taipei City Government announced current harm reduction measures, including 19 automatic service machines for clean needles, 34 cooperative pharmacies, and 4 medical hospitals providing methadone treatment. About 600 people receive treatment every year.

Methadone is classified as a Class II drug and Class II controlled substance by law, but it is a legal medical measure when used for addiction treatment under medical supervision.

When the Taipei City Government provides methadone, is it also called "drug supply"?

Jiang Wanan emphasized that methadone treatment in hospitals is different from providing drugs in the community. This difference does exist, but when discussing other harm reduction systems, we should also examine the medical purpose, supervision methods and legal norms, rather than draw conclusions based on fragments of text.

Shen Boyang's personal article in 2014 was a comparison of different drug policies and foreign harm reduction systems, not a specific policy plan for 2026. Discussions of policy options cannot be directly inferred as current policy commitments.

Luo Zhiqiang also questioned Shen Boyang on the issue of marijuana. Shen Boyang said that the relevant dissertation he supervised concluded that Taiwan is not suitable for decriminalizing marijuana.

Personal essays and academic papers are materials of different nature. Academic research must analyze the advantages and disadvantages of the system, and cannot regard the research object as the research conclusion, let alone regard student papers as the policy stance of the supervisor.

During the parliamentary inquiry in 2023, Jiang Wanan failed to answer who the director of the Drug Harm Prevention Center was. Only after being reminded by members did he learn that the director was himself. This record is worthy of comparison with today's remarks and administration.

Ask A, please answer A.

Jiang Wanan should provide evidence to explain when Shen Boyang promised to distribute drugs in the community, and how the system he opposed is different from the city's current policy; Luo Zhiqiang should also fully present the cited materials to allow society to test his accusations.

Honesty and credibility are not political slogans, but a long-term record of words and deeds. Quotations must be complete, arguments must be substantiated, and errors must be corrected.

Research is not a political opinion, and fragments are not the full text. Facts cannot be tailored, and integrity must stand the test.