Colombo Plan’s Dr. Benjamin P. Reyes Visits the Department of Substance Abuse Control and Prevention of the Kaohsiung City Government
Kaohsiung City, Taiwan — November 6, 2025
Secretary-General Dr. Benjamin P. Reyes visited the Department of Substance Abuse Control and Prevention, Kaohsiung City Government (the Center), accompanied by TADTP Secretary-General Huang Di-Wei, and head counselors Prosecutor Lin, Ta, and Mr. Andrew Malanga. The delegation was welcomed by the Chief Secretary Chang, Chiu-Wen, who led the briefing and exchange.
Kaohsiung’s Center is the only first-tier local government agency in Taiwan dedicated exclusively to drug prevention. Chief Secretary Chang presented an overview of the Center’s responsibilities, including citywide policy development, cross-departmental coordination, and integration of municipal resources. She emphasized the Center’s close collaboration with the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office, Kaohsiung Municipal Kai-Syuan Psychiatric Hospital, and other medical institutions, noting its central role in counseling, rehabilitation, and community reintegration for individuals with substance-use disorders.
Chief Secretary Chang also detailed the Center’s efforts to enhance precision and efficiency in drug prevention. These include developing an intelligent drug-prevention data system to strengthen monitoring and analysis, and adopting AI-powered tools to support case managers and counselors in follow-up services. The Center has additionally implemented an incentive-based points card system to encourage self-management among individuals receiving treatment.
Dr. Reyes commended the Center’s innovative use of AI in substance-use management and noted that artificial intelligence is likely to play an increasingly significant role in prevention and treatment fields across the region.
Colombo Plan Secretary-General Dr. Benjamin P. Reyes discusses global drug-prevention initiatives with the Department of
Substance Abuse Control and Prevention of the Kaohsiung City Government.
Joined by the Department of Substance Abuse Control and Prevention, Kaohsiung City Government Secretary Chang, Chiu-Wen,Colombo Plan Secretary-General Dr. Benjamin P. Reyes, TADTP advisors Prosecutor Lin, Ta, and Mr. Andrew Malanga, andSecretary-General Huang, Di-Wei.