Taiwan is considering a stricter system for drug testing in the military. Lawmakers reviewed the new proposal on Thursday to address a rise in drug abuse cases.
Opposition party lawmaker Chen I-hsin says that the market for drugs has grown over time, and it is also becoming increasingly difficult to catch drug offenders in the military. He says that under the new proposal, military officers will be able to enforce mandatory hair drug testing.
Chen says that carrying out hair testing will require specialized equipment, but that it’s worth it to ensure national security and sobriety in the military.
Right now, the military mostly uses urine tests to check for drug abuse. However, Deputy Justice Minister Tsai Pi-chung says that urine tests can only pick up traces of drugs taken within the past five days. He says that time frame is too short, especially compared to hair tests, which can find traces from up to five months ago.
Tsai says that the ministry will have to consider whether people who have quit drugs during this longer period should still be removed from service. He adds that hair tests come with their own complications, saying that the possibility of accidental contamination is much higher.