Executive Yuan Proposes Legalizing Saliva Drug Tests to Enhance Drugged Driving Enforcement

By Central News Agency reporters Lai Yu-chen and Wu Shu-wei, Taipei, June 18

To enhance the efficiency of frontline drugged driving screening, the Executive Yuan today passed amendments to Articles 33 and 36 of the 'Control of Drug Addiction Act,' incorporating saliva rapid tests—known for their high timeliness and 100% accuracy—into law to strengthen screening effectiveness.

To strengthen anti-drug and anti-drugged driving measures, the Executive Yuan recently approved 14 response strategies centered on source deterrence, enhanced enforcement, and harsher penalties for drugged driving, and has successively introduced legislative amendments to increase penalties. Today, amendments to parts of the 'Road Traffic Management Penalty Act' were proposed, strengthening penalties for drugged driving and refusal to test, and establishing a preventive license suspension mechanism for drug users. Simultaneously, amendments to Articles 33 and 36 of the 'Control of Drug Addiction Act' were submitted, legally codifying saliva rapid testing. The bills will be sent to the Legislative Yuan for review.

Under the current 'Control of Drug Addiction Act,' Article 33 allows competent authorities to require drug testing for specific personnel under their supervision when necessary, but only urine samples are permitted, which does not fully meet practical needs. Huang Mou-shin, Deputy Minister of Justice, stated at the post-cabinet press conference that the inclusion of saliva testing is primarily due to timeliness considerations. Saliva testing can more immediately detect whether an individual has consumed drugs compared to urine testing, and saliva test kits have achieved 100% accuracy and validity. To meet practical demands, saliva testing is being added to enhance screening timeliness.

Executive Yuan spokesperson Lee Hui-chih, speaking at the post-cabinet press conference, relayed Premier Cho Jung-tai's remarks. Cho noted that recent incidents involving emerging drugs such as etomidate have caused harm. The Executive Yuan has proposed 14 measures from three fronts—source deterrence, enhanced enforcement, and harsh penalties for drugged driving—and is progressively advancing legislative reforms. Next week, amendments to the 'Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act' will also be submitted to the Executive Yuan meeting to further improve legal frameworks, demonstrating the government's firm determination to combat drug-related crimes and fully prevent illegal activities. (Edited by Wan Shu-chang) 1150618