SNIFFING OF VOLATILE INHALANTS AMONG YOUTHS (Measures to combat)

Mr Ng Kah Ting asked the Minister for Home Affairs if he will inform the House of the seriousness of the problem of glue sniffing among youths in Singapore and of the measures which his Ministry intends to take in combatting this problem.

The Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs (Prof. S. Jayakumar) (for the Minister for Home Affairs): Mr Speaker, Sir, I am answering on behalf of my Minister.

Sniffing of volatile inhalants such as glue and paint thinners, which are not controlled drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act, was first noticed in 1980. The total number of cases detected from 1980 to February 1983 was 734. There were 24 cases in 1980 rising to a high of 528 in 1982. In the first two months of this year, 109 cases were detected. The situation seems to have stabilized with a monthly average of 60 detected abusers.

Volatile inhalants are not addictive but a frequent abuser can suffer mental and physical impairment. Most of the abusers detected are youths. 89% of them are below 20 years of age. They are abusing inhalants as a fad. In other countries, this form of abuse did not reach epidemic proportions as the sniffers became disen- chanted once they grew older. However, we are taking steps to ensure that this form of abuse is not widespread in Singapore.

Volatile inhalants are used as solvents and found in many products such as glue, paint thinners and petrol. It is doubtful whether it is practical to introduce legislation to control its use as these products are widely used and easily obtainable in the retail market.

The problem has to be approached with care. Inhalant abuse should not be glamourized so as to arouse curiosity amongst youths to this form of abuse. The public, particularly parents and teachers, must be aware of the dangers so that they can take preventive measures.

Our efforts will concentrate on educating the public on the dangers of this activity. Among the steps taken to combat the problem are the following:-

(1) Inhalant abusers and their parents have been given talks on the dangers.

(2) Follow-up counselling is given to abusers who are school pupils, by the Social Work Unit of the Ministry of Education.

(3) Abusers under 16 years of age and are not schooling are referred to the Welfare Services of the Ministry of Social Affairs for counselling.

(4) Abusers under 18 years of age are encouraged to join the Boys' Clubs so that they can be occupied in sports and recreational activities.

The Ministry of Education has included this emerging danger in its drug education programme. This is aimed at immunizing the pupils against drug abuse and inhalant abuse. A drug education handbook for teachers who will be teaching drug education was jointly produced by the Ministry of Education and the Central Narcotics Bureau. A video programme to complement the handbook has also been produced recently by the Curriculum Development Institute of Singapore.

The Ministry of Home Affairs is monitoring the situation very closely. The measures taken to educate and immunize the public at present are sufficient. If warranted, we will not hesitate to enforce stronger measures.

Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam (Anson): Mr Speaker, Sir, a supplementary question for the Minister of State. Is the Ministry considering control of the sale of these volatile inhalants at all? Have they considered any form of control over the sale of these inhalants?

Prof. Jayakumar: Mr Speaker, Sir, this, of course, is one of the measures that obviously has been considered. But as I pointed out in my answer, the products where the inhalants are used are many and they can be found widely in the market, and in any attempt to control we must bear in mind the possibilities of enforcement. The Ministry of Home Affairs is considering this as a measure but in order to do so they must examine the experiences of other countries. Have they succeeded in enforcing such legislation? For such legislation to be effective, we must be able to enforce age limits of customers who are buying these products.

Mr Ng Kah Ting (Punggol): Sir, will the counter measures enumerated by the Hon. Minister of State not be sufficient to check increases in sniffing?

Prof. Jayakumar: Sir, as I have stated in the closing part of my answer, the assessment by the authorities in Singapore is that the measures hitherto taken are sufficient to counter the problem. But we are not complacent and we cannot afford to be complacent. This is why my Ministry is considering all possible measures to nip the problem in the bud so that it will not reach epidemic proportions.