Drug appearance keeps changing over recent years, often camouflaged or disguised to attract people’s attention and curiosity. It is easy for people to lower their alertness and misuse accidentally, causing health harm. Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) reminds the public to keep high vigilant to avoid becoming the next drug victim.

TFDA spares no effort in enforcing the anti-drug work, faced with the challenge of endless emerging drugs, actively implements the “New Generation Anti-drug Strategy” of the Executive Yuan. Portable Raman spectrometers are used for boarder inspection of active pharmaceutical ingredients to keep drug outside of the boarder, testing resources of both government and non-government laboratories are integrated to maximize testing capability to stop drug flow in the country; thus ensure the health of the people. However, drug appearances vary widely, transformed from powder and pills as we used to know to look like snacks and drinks such as coffee bags, tea bags, jelly, candy or plum slices, also cute patterns may be printed on the package to attract people’s attention, let down ones guard thus leading to misuse. As drugs harm to health are well known, TFDA calls for people to stay vigilant and on guard at all time to protect oneself, be brave to refuse food and drink from unknown sources, and never use out of curiosity or encouragement by others.

More drug abuse and hazard prevention information can be found at TFDA antidrug resources website (http://www.fda.gov.tw/TC/site.aspx?sid=10070), or you can call the consultation hotline of local government Drug Abuse Prevention Centers at 0800-770-885.