Singapore Drug Situation getting worse

[ChewCheng]

There is a surge in drug traffickers and addicts within the tertiary institutions and CNB does not seem to be doing much about it.

Drugs transacted within school compounds and students are selling the stuff to fund their materialistic purchases.

If not acted upon, we should be seeing a lot of our youth going into drugs 10 years from now.

 

[zhihau]

designer drugs, aye?

 

[TransparentReminder]

I thought that the drug addiction situation in Singapore is now under control? I even read about an effective approach in educating younger generations about drug abuse.

 

[Narong Wongwan]

With more FTs you get more problems.
Stewpig pappies think they can micro manage everything under The Sun.
Time to leegalise drugs....maybe pappies already got the intention as they pally with drug lords while catching all the Ikan bilis.

 

[yellowarse]

We have the most draconian punishments for drug trafficking and addiction in the world. We routinely sentence teenaged drug mules to hang (while consorting with drug barons). More than 900 people have been executed for drug offences. We're the only developed country in the world to imprison drug addicts (two admissions to DRC and it's prison) and conduct regular urine tests for ex-inmates.

But figures for drug trafficking and new drug addicts are still increasing, especially among the youth. And the average age of first use is getting younger – mid-teens. 70% of all our crimes are drug-related – mainly violence, shop theft, robbery, peddling. Recidivism rate for first-time DRC inmates is a whopping 93%. And drug-related crime rates are still increasing relative to all other crimes.

All this exacts a toll on the economy, social fabric and family cohesion.

The anti-drug program has failed miserably, giving the lie to the mantra that the death penalty is the best deterrent and ultimate answer to drugs, and that imprisoning drug addicts will scare them so much they wouldn't smoke another heroin joint or pop another Ecstasy pill ever again. (Speak to any drug addict and they'll tell you that they relapsed at their first post-DRC urine test where they met up with their old drug kakis and gathered for a kopi and snort session afterwards.)

So, why? What went wrong? Is our approach to the drug problem fundamentally flawed? Is a more holistic approach incorporating genuine long-term closed community rehab (not forced incarceration and caning) the answer? Can more be done to restitute and restore reformed drug addicts to society?

 

[zhihau]

I thought that the drug addiction situation in Singapore is now under control?

International schools?

 

[Froggy]

Fake news. Nothing to prove. TS spreading terror and fear while the whole nation is behind PAP going through one of our most difficult challenges solving public transport problems.

This type of post is amounting to terrorism and our good SPF, the best in the world should look into it immediately.

Best police in action

 

[JohnTan]

The drug problem will be better addressed if we hang the drug mules at a faster rate.

 

[johnny333]

The local born population in Spore is falling. So if there is an increase in the drug problem, it is among the foreigners in Spore.

PAP will not dare to execute foreigners. Their Govt would raise hell.

 

[scroobal]

You are too much a liberal and a socialist. I have no sympathies to anyone peddling drugs as well as addicts who have finished 2 rounds of DRC rehabilitation.

I don't see any other country that has effectively protected the wider society and our kids in relative terms as Singapore.

Its tough and I agree that we must continue to find a solution that is better but dropping the current controls are not the answer at least to me.

Everyone is a mule seems to be a great get-out-excuse.

We have the most draconian punishments for drug trafficking and addiction in the world. We routinely sentence teenaged drug mules to hang (while consorting with drug barons). More than 900 people have been executed for drug offences. We're the only developed country in the world to imprison drug addicts (two admissions to DRC and it's prison) and conduct regular urine tests for ex-inmates.

But figures for drug trafficking and new drug addicts are still increasing, especially among the youth. And the average age of first use is getting younger – mid-teens. 70% of all our crimes are drug-related – mainly violence, shop theft, robbery, peddling. Recidivism rate for first-time DRC inmates is a whopping 93%. And drug-related crime rates are still increasing relative to all other crimes.

All this exacts a toll on the economy, social fabric and family cohesion.

The anti-drug program has failed miserably, giving the lie to the mantra that the death penalty is the best deterrent and ultimate answer to drugs, and that imprisoning drug addicts will scare them so much they wouldn't smoke another heroin joint or pop another Ecstasy pill ever again. (Speak to any drug addict and they'll tell you that they relapsed at their first post-DRC urine test where they met up with their old drug kakis and gathered for a kopi and snort session afterwards.)

So, why? What went wrong? Is our approach to the drug problem fundamentally flawed? Is a more holistic approach incorporating genuine long-term closed community rehab (not forced incarceration and caning) the answer? Can more be done to restitute and restore reformed drug addicts to society?

 

[pakchewcheng]

Fake news. Nothing to prove. TS spreading terror and fear while the whole nation is behind PAP going through one of our most difficult challenges solving public transport problems.

This type of post is amounting to terrorism and our good SPF, the best in the world should look into it immediately.

Best police in action

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

 

[yellowarse]

You are too much a liberal and a socialist. I have no sympathies to anyone peddling drugs as well as addicts who have finished 2 rounds of DRC rehabilitation.

I have no sympathy too. People who chose to peddle or take drugs have to accept the consequences of their action – no one pointed a gun at their heads.

But that's not the point: the stats show that recidivism rate is on the rise, new addicts on the rise, drug-related crime on the rise.

The point is, if something's not working, or not working well, it has to be fixed. Burying one's head in the sand and wishing it away won't work. It's obvious that current controls aren't adequate; you can't get any harsher than prison, caning and the death sentence. There's always torture, but I'm not sure if we should go there.

A more holistic approach is perhaps needed. Best practices can be adopted and modified from countries with vaster experience in dealing with different aspects of the problem – recidivism, rehab, new uptake.

As for those who claim that the drug problem is not a 'local' but a 'foreign' one, you couldn't be further from the truth. A veteran in the prison ministry told me that 70% of prison inmates on drug-related charges are Malay. A sensitive socio-political issue indeed, but it still has to be tackled head-on.

 

[scroobal]

I once attended a presentation given by the Supt of Selarang Park DRC. They were using the plastic slides with an overhead projector at that time. Someone had used a solvent to remove the last bullet point but you could make it out “Complete failure”

I spoke to the Supt aside and asked him to be frank. He told me that he and his man have resigned to the fact that they will all return back despite cold turkey. Only those pass 40 of age have hope. This Supt was rated highly and chosen for his work with hardcore criminals in the past.

The heroin we get is not the watered down stuff that the West gets after various arms of the distribution chain cuts it.

Frankly no one has an answer. Ho Peng Kee before he retired as MOS MHA made the call for prison after 2 DRC stints. To allow more resource and the newer admissions.

I do note that all of us are still seeking a holistic solution.

We have had Ang Mo parents inquiring about putting addict dependents in our programme. That’s how desperate families are.

The Malay problem is unique and deserves a separate post.

I have no sympathy too. People who chose to peddle or take drugs have to accept the consequences of their action – no one pointed a gun at their heads.

But that's not the point: the stats show that recidivism rate is on the rise, new addicts on the rise, drug-related crime on the rise.

The point is, if something's not working, or not working well, it has to be fixed. Burying one's head in the sand and wishing it away won't work. It's obvious that current controls aren't adequate; you can't get any harsher than prison, caning and the death sentence. There's always torture, but I'm not sure if we should go there.

A more holistic approach is perhaps needed. Best practices can be adopted and modified from countries with vaster experience in dealing with different aspects of the problem – recidivism, rehab, new uptake.

As for those who claim that the drug problem is not a 'local' but a 'foreign' one, you couldn't be further from the truth. A veteran in the prison ministry told me that 70% of prison inmates on drug-related charges are Malay. A sensitive socio-political issue indeed, but it still has to be tackled head-on.

 

[Agoraphobic]

Move with the times man! Medical marijuana is already legalized in many places over the world. Deliveries are done over the internet, via Purolator and/or other courier mail service.

Its an alternative to high pharmaceutical costs.

Cheers!

 

[nayr69sg]

I won't be surprised if Temasick is behind this. They have to find all kinds of ways to make money to pay the CPF ponzi scheme now that they lost everything in GIC.

 

[eatshitndie]

I won't be surprised if Temasick is behind this. They have to find all kinds of ways to make money to pay the CPF ponzi scheme now that they lost everything in GIC.

nah. nothing to do with establishment money. made in china designer drugs are now 69 times more potent than heroine (fentanyl alone is 40 times), 69 times more affordable, and 6.9 times more easily distributed with the help of the internet. the fancy meth, oops i mean math, means the opioid crisis is not confined to america but will becum a scourge to the world, especially cuntries promoting the party life - passion made possible. it is unstoppable, even with the most draconian laws and bloated drug enforcement agencies. they are just not designed and developed for the perfect formula storm of powerful + desirable + affordable + internet.

 

[Cottonmouth]

It's a population control mechanism to weed out the curious.

 

[yellowarse]

I once attended a presentation given by the Supt of Selarang Park DRC. They were using the plastic slides with an overhead projector at that time. Someone had used a solvent to remove the last bullet point but you could make it out “Complete failure”

'Complete failure' is a wonderfully apt description. Good to see some honesty in their internal evaluation.

Frankly no one has an answer. Ho Peng Kee before he retired as MOS MHA made the call for prison after 2 DRC stints. To allow more resource and the newer admissions.

For starters, criminalizing drug addiction was a pig-headed move. It is an economic expedient, like many policies on this island state, and it bears the blueprint of the founding party's hard-nosed pragmatism, but it has been shown to be futile ('complete failure'), and the social ramifications are nothing short of a disaster.

Most international experts will tell you that a 6-month confinement is too short for a holistic rehab program. You can clean the guy up physically and physiologically, no more urges, no more withdrawal symptoms ... but he's still empty inside, devoid of hope, meaning, esteem. The moment he's out he's back on the dope in the blink of an eye.

Longer confinement programs – enforced by legislation – may be harsh but necessary, even if it costs the taxpayers. But the moment you throw an addict into the slammer and give him a criminal record, you've lost him – and the game – forever. Why should I stay on the right side of the law if I'm already a convicted criminal?

Moreover, where's the exit strategy? This chap comes out, can't get a job because of his record, can't feed himself or whatever family he's left with, and in no time is back with his street kakis. And the cycle starts again. Most actually relapse at the first post-release urine test where they catch up with long-lost buddies and meet up for drinks afterwards.

 

[hofmann]

The war on drugs is outdated and needs refinement to evolve with changing circumstances.

From an economic point of view, decriminalization of certain categories of substances will be a good thing.

A whole section of society will be integrated back into mainstream society and have a chance of getting jobs and leading meaningful lives. But this leads to another problem.

It is a fact many of the S-pass level jobs have been taken over by foreigners, jobs that were traditionally dominated by the Malay community who form a disproportionate majority of current drug inmates. Definitely a strong correlation here.

So decriminalization without further action to keep jobs available for this segment of society will not be effective either.

This problem isn't going to go away and the old ways of dealing with it has proven less effective than hoped for and led to the marginalization of a community.

Decriminalize it, tax it, sell it, make people work to pay for it, and the wheels of the economic machine keep on turning.

If the world trends towards decriminalization, it's a great economic opportunity for our local pharma industry and A*star. We could be the world's top exporter of premium substances and create many jobs along the way. All this with existing know how and capability.

We are merely an administrative hurdle away from growing an extra wing for our economy.

 

[scroobal]

The DRC started and went on for over 2 decades where the detention was for 2 years and there was no improvement amongst addicts but it helped overall safety of society as the crime rate fell to feed their addiction. Whatever it is the tough love shielded kids, schools and whole neighbourhoods.

I looked everywhere and there is nothing appealing.

Maybe the way of the West maybe better - the individual accounts for his own action. Decriminalise and accept hotshots and overdoses and be prepared for wider group in society to experiment and again accept there will be losses within society.

I guess the search continues for something better.