The discovery of investigations into the drugging of preschoolers in Taiwan has caused widespread alarm on the island.
Teachers at a kindergarten in New Taipei City have been charged with sedated students using cough syrups laced with benzodiazepines and phenobarbital.
According to police, it is unclear why the children were given the addictive syrups after weeks of investigation.
The scandal, however, has prompted family protests in front of government buildings.
At a demonstration on Sunday in New Taipei City, hundreds of people demanded more openness from the police investigation and many criticized the government for keeping information from the public.
On the opposite end of the island, in Kaohsiung, a separate case involving a medical practice came to light on Monday.
Four doctors were found guilty by the local health department of misconduct and using phenobarbital improperly on about 20 children. They were fined 1 point 4 million Taiwanese dollars (£35,989, $46,121) and told to stop practicing for six months.
In response to growing public anxiety, Taipei City Hospital has also started providing preschool-aged kids with free blood tests to check for traces of sedatives.
The actions follow the scandal's initial appearance in May, when parents at a private preschool in New Taipei City accused staff of giving their kids "unknown drugs" by feeding them.
During the protracted Lunar New Year holiday period in February, Mike, a father of a five-year-old child, told BBC Chinese that parents had observed what seemed to be withdrawal symptoms in their children.
Some parents discovered their kids had become agitated, restless, and screamed while they were sleeping, and even cried out with leg cramps, he said.
Parents discovered after speaking with the kids that their teachers had given them an "unknown potion.". Police received complaints in April and May.
Local authorities conducted an investigation after receiving more parent complaints in June and discovered that at least eight kids had trace amounts of phenobarbital and benzodiazepines, a class of psychoactive drugs, in their bodies.
On June 12, a closure order was issued for the kid castle educational institute franchise that is the subject of the controversy. 150,000 Taiwanese dollars ($3,800/$4,872) were assessed as a fine against its directors.
After being detained and interrogated by police, the principal and five teachers were later released on bail. Criminal activity is being looked into.
When the staff claimed that the parents had given their approval for a list of medications provided by the school, local media reported that some parents objected and questioned the medications the school was using.
Some cough and gastrointestinal medications do contain phenobarbital, according to a Taiwanese pharmacist who spoke to the local media. .
Phenobarbital-containing medications are scarce and are typically used to treat epilepsy or provide anesthesia during surgery.
The majority of the time, benzodiazepines, a class of depressant medications, are used to treat very severe anxiety.
The drugs are very addictive, and an overdose could make you drowsy and short of breath.
