Justice Minister Announces Stricter Penalties for Drug-Impaired Driving, Launches 1-Month Crackdown

Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien stated today that the government maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward drug-impaired driving. He announced plans to expedite legislative amendments to increase penalties and to treat drug-impaired driving separately from drunk driving in the Criminal Code. He has requested the High Prosecutors Office to convene six major anti-drug systems to launch a one-month special crackdown on drug-impaired driving. The Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Justice held a public destruction ceremony for seized narcotics today, announcing that over 2,359 kilograms of drugs across 509 boxes were destroyed, setting a record. In his speech, Minister Cheng declared the government's commitment to combating drug-impaired driving. He noted that the Ministry is drafting amendments to separate drug-impaired driving from drunk driving, emphasizing that such behavior harms both the perpetrator and others. The Ministry is also considering legislation to confiscate vehicles used in drug-impaired driving, regardless of ownership. Furthermore, as drug-impaired driving is a serious crime, the Ministry plans to raise the threshold for parole and strictly review cases eligible for fines. Minister Cheng added that for emerging drugs like etomidate, the High Prosecutors Office has mobilized six major anti-drug systems—including prosecutors, police, coast guard, military police, and customs—to launch a one-month crackdown starting May 25th to strictly punish and deter these harmful behaviors.