Taipei, July 31 (CNA) An estimated 258,000 Taiwanese have used illicit drugs at least once in their lifetime, with newly-emerging designer drugs which are more popular among the younger generation featuring in the top five most commonly used drugs nationwide, according to a survey released by Taiwan's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Wednesday.



The poll, conducted from May to December 2018 by the FDA and the College of Public Health at National Taiwan University, targeted 18,626 Taiwanese aged 12-64.



A total of 1.15 percent of respondents had used illegal drugs at least once in their lifetime and were able to identify the type of drugs, though that number rose to 1.46 percent when including those unable to identify what drugs they took.



The survey indicated that the five most commonly used illegal drugs in Taiwan are amphetamine (0.42%), ketamine (0.40%), MDMA (0.36%), marijuana (0.32%) and designer drugs (0.18%), the latter being included for the first time.



Designer drugs are predominantly used by the younger generation, both male and female, the report added.



Up to 70 percent of those who used designer drugs took the illegal substances out of "curiosity" the first time, while 29.9 percent of that group did so at the home of a friend or schoolmate, the survey showed.



Designer drugs appear in a wide range of forms, including mixtures of illegal substances in candy or instant coffee sachets, "rainbow cigarettes" containing class 2 and class 3 drugs and LSD-like "stamp drugs," Chen said.



The exact combination of substances in these new drugs used by young people is unknown and as such they could have unexpected side effects, according to the Institute of Forensic Medicine, including acute renal damage and cardiac dysrhythmia, Chen noted.



Head of the FDA's controlled drugs department Chu Yu-ju (朱玉如) said designer drugs are packaged in many different forms and urged people to be wary of tea bags, coffee sachets and candy from questionable sources.