Drug Abusers under 18 Years of Age

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the current percentage of drug abusers who are below 18 years old; and (b) whether this figure has seen a significant increase over the last five- to 10-year period.

Mr Teo Chee Hean: A total of 123 drug abusers aged below 18 years old were arrested last year. This comprised 4% of the total of 3,265 drug abusers arrested. The number of young abusers below 18 years old arrested has more than doubled since 2008 – the comparative number then was 46 young abusers, which made up 2% of total abusers arrested.

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My Ministry is concerned about the increasing number of young people abusing drugs. As the Taskforce on Drugs announced recently, CNB will step up its preventive drug education (PDE) outreach to students in post-secondary institutions and out-of-school youths. Traffickers who target youths will face stiffer penalties. A suite of measures will also be put in place to tighten supervision and improve the rehabilitation of young abusers.

Drug abuse is harmful and any abuse is a slippery slope to addiction. As a society, we must maintain zero-tolerance of drug abuse. Every youth should also take charge of his or her life by choosing not to experiment with drugs in the first place.