Singapore will be relentless in its war on drugs

A drug-free society is within reach when the right policies are properly executed, said Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam on Friday (March 3), as he dismissed suggestions that international pressure will cause Singapore to deviate from its policies on drugs as delusional. Speaking at the Ministry of Home Affairs Committee of Supply debate in Parliament, he also outlined three challenges Singapore is facing in the fight against narcotics.

Below is an excerpt from his speech:

The New York Times ran an article in January this year, on the “Killer Drug Epidemic” in the United States. Across the US, cheap smuggled heroin is “handed out like candy”. In 2015, more than 33,000 people died from opioid abuse, greater than the number killed in gun homicide. Babies are born with heroin dependency. Entire neighbourhoods are affected and there is little hope for their young people.

The article told the story of a young 24-year-old girl who was doing well in school. Unfortunately, she developed anorexia. That led on to alcohol, then drugs. She got addicted, and went in and out of rehab eight times, but was still unsuccessful. To pay for her drugs, she lied to her family, pawned her mother’s jewellery and went into prostitution. Countless others die, either through drugs, or through drug-related violence. There are hundreds or thousands of such examples across the world.

Singapore is one of the few countries in the world that have dealt effectively with the drug problem. Our approach: We have a tough legal framework against traffickers and abusers. We are firm and relentless in enforcement. We carry out intensive efforts to educate Singaporeans on the dangers of drug abuse — and all these are complemented by comprehensive rehabilitation measures.

The Economist ran a major article in January this year. It said that Asia’s harsh anti-drug policies are falling out of step with the rest of the world. It criticised these policies as needlessly severe and probably ineffective. Yet, it conceded that Singapore’s drug consumption is admirably low. It caveated that by saying this is because we are small, we have secure borders, little corruption, effective anti-drug education, and laws that allow searches without warrants and detention without trial. Apart from our size, none of the other factors happened by themselves. They are the result of our policies and many years of hard work. There is strong public support both for our tough laws and our approach. Singapore’s example demonstrates that the vision of a drug-resistant society is not impossible with the right policies properly executed.

The same Economist article referred to me as “Singapore’s fearsome Law and Home Affairs Minister” and it quoted my speech at the 2016 United Nations General Assembly, where I said: “Show us a model that works better, that delivers a better outcome for citizens, and we will consider changing. If that cannot be done, then don’t ask us to change.” I don’t accept the description “fearsome”. But I will not flinch from taking a position, in Singapore and outside Singapore, that I believe is in the interests of our people.

In this context, let me also put to rest one other myth. Recently, there have been some suggestions that international pressure will cause us to deviate from our policies. And the death penalty was referred to in that context. Such suggestions are delusional. We do what is right for Singapore. A penalty will be in the books if we believe it to be right. And it will be removed if we believe that removal is the right thing to do. And not because of any international pressure.

The challenge of keeping Singapore drug-free is increasing. First, there are growing threats from the region. South-east Asia continues to be a major market and producer of illicit drugs. Myanmar and Lao PDR account for 22 per cent of the total global area used for illicit opium poppy cultivation. The trafficking of ice and heroin in the region generates over

US$32 billion (S$45.2 billion) annually. This lucrative black market has attracted criminal syndicates from Africa, Iran, South Asia and Mexico and, of course, China. Singapore will be overrun by these syndicates if we do not take a tough approach. Our neighbours share our concerns. They, too, want to be drug-free. We will continue to partner them as we work towards a united position in Asean.

The second challenge is that the number of new drug abusers in Singapore has increased. Close to two-thirds of new abusers in 2016 were under the age of 30. A survey conducted by the National Council Against Drug Abuse in 2016 found that young people below the age of 30 were more open-minded towards drugs, as compared with a similar 2013 survey.

This is worrying. Dr Tan Wu Meng (Member of Parliament for Jurong GRC) also raised this concern.

This problem is compounded by the rise in online drug availability. Online black market sites allow users to buy drugs anonymously. The drugs are couriered in small parcels, unmarked, innocuous-looking and difficult to track. The young are especially susceptible. Many of us may think that only young people from low-income households are vulnerable. But the Task Force on Youths and Drugs commissioned a study in 2014. It found that most young cannabis abusers came from either middle or high socioeconomic backgrounds. Many of them did well in school.

The Central Narcotics Bureau will take active measures, together with our community partners, to tackle this concern.

Third, there is increasing international pressure to adopt a softer “harm reduction” approach. We have to remain steadfast in our resolve to keep Singapore drug-free. We will continue to work with our partners, at regional and international platforms, to safeguard our position.