Entertainer fined for sharing “marijuana kills COVID” message
Taiwanese singer Hsieh Ho-hsien ( 謝和弦 ) was found guilty of disseminating false information and handed a fine of NT60,000 by the New Taipei District Court today, after sharing a post on Instagram in February titled “Weed kills coronavirus.”
Police received a report about Hsieh’s Instagram post and first questioned the 33-year-old entertainer on February 24. An investigation found that Hsieh had received a message from a friend on February 6, claiming that marijuana could “kill” coronavirus.
Prosecutors said that Hsieh had shared the message immediately without verifying its accuracy.
The judge ruled that as a public figure, Hsieh had arbitrarily spread false information concerning an infectious disease epidemic, causing public panic. As such Hsieh should be censured and fined NT$60,000.
The ruling is appealable.
At the time of his arrest, Hsieh was already facing charges for possession of marijuana after his wife informed police against her husband in December 2019.
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