Concerns Over "Zombie Vapes" in Schools; Mayor Chiang Wan-an Promises Strengthened Crackdown

During a Taipei City Council session, members pointed out that the proportion of students using "zombie vapes" (etomidate) in schools may be increasing, creating a "black box" of unreported cases. The city should form a task force, they argued. Mayor Chiang Wan-an promised in his council response today that he would require the police and the Department of Education to maintain close contact and strengthen reporting and crackdowns. Mayor Chiang attended the general municipal inquiry at the Taipei City Council this afternoon. KMT City Councilor Wang Chih-ping raised the issue of "zombie vapes" in schools, questioning whether the actual number of cases exceeds the number of arrests, suggesting a "black box" exists. Wang stated that "zombie vapes" on the market are often mixed with e-cigarettes. Data from Taipei police shows that cases involving etomidate rose from 0 in 2023 to 1,746 in 2025, which may be related to the central government classifying it as a Class 2 drug. She indicated that the usage rate of etomidate among students aged 12 to 17 is rising. Although the Taipei Department of Education budgets 2.24 million TWD annually for drug testing kits, regulations prevent schools from obtaining accurate data on students involved in drug use. She argued that the current system prevents schools from catching or testing students, suggesting the Department of Education should report these regulatory gaps to the central government, while the police should strengthen crackdowns to break the drug supply chain in schools and keep minors away from drugs. Mayor Chiang responded that the Taipei Police Department regularly monitors and reports on this, acknowledging the trend and the need to face and solve it. He promised to fully strengthen crackdowns, including those involving new drugs delivered via e-cigarettes. Chiang added that he would require the police and the Department of Education to coordinate closely and strengthen reporting. If students are found using suspicious drugs, schools should report it immediately, and the Juvenile Police Team will conduct individual investigations and management to solve the problem at the root. However, Wang felt that some of Chiang's mentioned measures were already existing policies and demanded new approaches, such as forming a task force. Chiang agreed.