Taipei mayoral hopefuls clash over drug-policy proposals and harm-reduction measures
Mayoral candidates Puma Shen and incumbent Chiang Wan-an sparred over drug-prevention strategies, with Shen defending needle-exchange programs and Chiang rejecting any de-criminalisation language.
During the Taipei mayoral race, DPP legislator Puma Shen presented a four-point plan to curb drug use in schools, featuring supply interdiction, life-skills curricula, drug testing and judicial actions, and referenced his 2014 article that suggested community centres providing clean needles and controlled substances. KMT lawmakers Lo Chih-chiang, Hsu Chiao-hsin and councilor Yang Chih-tou seized on those remarks, accusing Shen of equating illegal drugs with medicines.
Incumbent mayor Chiang Wan-an responded on Facebook, emphasizing an absolute, zero-tolerance approach and questioning whether residents would accept Shen’s harm-reduction proposals. The exchange drew massive online commentary, with Chiang’s post receiving hundreds of thousands of comments and Shen warning that conflating needle-exchange programs with encouragement of drug use misleads the public. Both sides called for a public debate, though Chiang framed the issue as a moral, non-negotiable stance, while Shen offered to discuss concrete details in any format.
