MISUSE OF DRUGS ACT (Review of enforcement)

Mr P. Selvadurai asked the Minister for Home Affairs and Education if he will review the working of the Misuse of Drugs Act (No. 5 of 1973) as the recent amendments of the said Act have in practice been found to be more punitive than preventive.

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Kuo Chuan has not stated clearly whether he refers to drug traffickers or drug addicts when he alleged in his question that the 1975 amendments of the Misuse of Drugs Act have in practice been found to be more punitive than preventive. Members will recall that when I moved the Bill to amend the Act on 20th November, 1975, in this House, I said that unless drug trafficking and drug addiction were checked, they would threaten our national security and viability. To do this, both punitive and preventive measures must be taken. The Act was thus amended to provide enhanced penalties for traffickers, including mandatory death penalty for drug trafficking and manufacturing, and to give the Director of the Central Narcotics Bureau power to send persons whose urine specimen contained controlled drug to a Drug Rehabilitation Centre for treatment and rehabilitation.

I do not think the hon. Member for Kuo Chuan is referring to illicit drug manufacturers and traffickers because they deserve to be punished. Indeed they must be punished so severely as not only to deter them from persisting in their evil activities but also others from joining in.

On the other hand, if the hon. Member is referring to drug addicts, the measures which have been taken so far can in no way be considered more punitive than preventive. Sending drug addicts to the Drug Rehabilitation Centres is a preventive move in more ways than one. First, the demand for drugs will be reduced. Second, the addicts, whilst undergoing treatment and rehabilitation in the Centres, are prevented from getting others into drug taking and aggravating the problem. Third, the addicts if not assisted to get rid of their drug habit in a drug-free environment and through a proper course of rehabilitation including compulsory aftercare, will never do so successfully on their own.

Drug addicts are rehabilitated in the Drug Rehabilitation Centres through a phased programme. Initially, through 'cold turkey' treatment, the addicts rid their bodies of the toxic drugs. After a short period of rest they are put through exercises to tone up their bodies and make them mentally more alert. Then they are taught discipline, particularly work discipline, so that they can carry on normal working life when they leave.

Upon their discharge, they are put on compulsory aftercare for two years to prevent them from re-establishing contact with undesirables and relapsing into the drug habit. They are given constant counselling by probation and aftercare officers and periodic urine samples are taken from them for analysis to discourage them from resuming their drug habit.

Operation Ferret which commenced on 1st April this year has for the first 56 days, that is up to 6.00 a.m. this morning, resulted in 1,531 drug addicts and abusers being sent to the Drug Rehabilitation Centres. As Operation Ferret progresses, more will be sent for rehabilitation. The number of persons with positive urine tests arrested in Operation Ferret reveal that we are facing a very serious drug problem which is rapidly deteriorating. It also proves that treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts and abusers on a voluntary basis is ineffective.

If the drug problem is not to get out of control, the measures to deal with it must not only be effective and flexible but also swift. The Misuse of Drugs Act will be further amended to strengthen its provisions. There are no soft options in solving the problem.

Mr P. Selvadurai (Kuo Chuan): Sir, let me confine myself to drug traffickers. Could the Minister confirm that despite the punitive provisions of the present law, the number of drug traffickers are, in fact, on the increase?

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Sir, this is not a simple problem. It is a complex problem. It is a question of supply and demand. If we want to solve the problem, we must not only tackle the demand side but also the supply side. With heavy penalties and strict enforcement, we are able to contain the trafficking to some extent. But at the same time if the demand for drugs increases, it means that more and more drug addicts get into the scene. Then, of course, trafficking will also increase, as there is money to be made. Therefore, it is not possible to quanti!v, in answer to the Member for Kuo Chuan, whether as a result of these punitive measures on drug traffickers, including introducing the death penalty, that drug trafficking has decreased. I can safely say that if we had not introduced these strict penalties and had not enforced the Act strictly, the situation would be very much worse than it is today.