Shen, Chiang open to debate over drug policy in Taipei mayoral race

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen (沈伯洋) proposed a debate on drug policy yesterday, while Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan- an (蔣萬安) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said the issue could be discussed at a formal debate as controversy over Shen’s past writings continued.

Chiang, seeking re-election, said he and Shen have reached a preliminary agreement to take part in a TVBS-organized debate, with details to be negotiated by their aides.

Speaking while distributing campaign newspapers outside Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT station yesterday morning, Shen accused Chiang’s team of misrepresenting his drug policy positions and suggested making the issue the subject of their first debate.

Democratic Progressive Party Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen, second row, fourth right, holds a copy of a commuter publication launched by his campaign, with others in Taipei yesterday.

Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times

Chiang said all municipal issues, including drug policy, as well as the candidates’ positions on them, were open for discussion.

“This year will be no exception. I will definitely participate,” he said, referring to the tradition of debates in Taipei mayoral elections.

The dispute centers on a September 2014 article Shen wrote for Thinking Taiwan following actor Kai Ko’s (柯震東) arrested in China for taking marijuana.

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an speaks to reporters in Taipei yesterday.

Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times

The article criticized a New Taipei City proposal to add drug screening to school health examinations and argued that punishment-focused policies could reinforce inequalities and stigmatize disadvantaged students.

Shen discussed decriminalization, assistance for people with addiction and research into the social causes of drug use.

If decriminalization was considered too radical, he suggested Taiwan could follow other countries by establishing community centers that provided drugs and clean needles alongside social worker support.

In response to the criticism in recent days, Shen said his article discussed harm-reduction measures, citing methadone treatment and needle-exchange programs already implemented in Taipei. The 2014 article did not specifically mention methadone.

Methadone is classified as a Category 2 narcotic in Taiwan but also has lawful medical uses. It is administered orally under medical supervision to treat heroin dependence, while needle-exchange programs are a separate harm-reduction measure.

Chiang questioned Shen’s explanation that his 2014 proposals concerned policies already in place, asking why he had criticized measures that were being implemented at the time.

Chiang argued that Shen had either misunderstood those policies or was now reinterpreting his earlier position for electoral purposes.

The controversy widened yesterday afternoon when KMT lawmakers Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) and Niu Hsu-ting (牛 煦庭) held a news conference questioning Shen’s past comments on the legalization of cannabis.

Lo cited a separate 2014 social media post in which, he said, Shen wrote that legalization was needed to address the underlying problems surrounding cannabis. He asked whether Shen still supported that position and the provision of drugs at community centers.

Responding later yesterday, Shen campaign spokesperson Tsai I-kae (蔡一愷) said studying a policy and advocating its implementation were different things.

Shen does not support cannabis legalization and opposes drugs entering schools, Tsai said, adding that a thesis Shen had supervised concluded Taiwan was not suited to legalizing cannabis.

Tsai accused the KMT of distorting academic research for electoral purposes, saying the attacks stigmatized higher education as well as Shen.