DRUG ADDICTION (Situation report)

Dr Ho Tat Kin asked the Minister for Home Affairs what is the current situation in Singapore as regards drug addiction; has the number of cases been on the increase; and what measures will be taken to improve the situation.

The Minister of State for Home Affairs (Dr Lee Boon Yang)(for the Minister for Home Affairs): Sir, I am replying on behalf of my Minister.

Sir, the drug addiction problem in Singapore is under control. Over the last 10 years, we have brought the addict population down from 13,000 in 1977 to about 7,000. They are mainly heroin addicts.

The infection rate has also been checked. In 1986, out of seven addicts arrested, only one was a new addict. The infection rate has been cut by more than half of the rate in 1977.

The number of young drug offenders (below 20 years old) has also declined. In 1986, 185 or 5% of drug offenders were below 20 years of age whereas in the first year of Operation Ferret in 1977, 31.4% or 2,427 drug offenders arrested were below 20 years of age.

While we have been effective in tackling the drug addiction problem as a whole, we are now faced with the residue problem of a growing number of hardcore addicts who have undergone repeated treatment and rehabilitation only to relapse after release from the DRC. At the end of 1986, there were 3,909 addicts in our DRCs. Of this number, 1,124 or 28.8% were hardcore addicts who were undergoing treatment and rehabilitation for the 4th time or more. A solution must be found for this growing number of hardcore addicts. They are a source of contamination and many of them are incorrigible. They also create disciplinary problems within the DRCs and, when released, peddle drugs to maintain their addiction. To overcome this, new approaches including a more strict regime may have to be provided under the Misuse of Drugs Act to deal with the hardcore addicts; those among them who pose serious disciplinary problems in the DRCs will have to be punished severely.

Our overall strategy against the drug menace is to suppress both supply and demand. Tough legislation has enabled us to effectively tackle both drug trafficking and consumption. Sustained enforcement measures of CNB and the other authorities, such as Police and Customs, coupled with the treatment and rehabilitation programme, have enabled us to contain the drug problem. The network of major drug trafficking syndicates has been disrupted. The drug scene is now characterized by ant traffickers who smuggle small quantities of drugs into Singapore. Enforcement at our Immigration checkpoints is stringent. They include spot checks of suspected addicts and traffickers. Narcotics detector dogs are also deployed to combat drug trafficking.

One decade has passed since Operation Ferret. While we have contained the drug problem, we cannot be complacent so long as international drug trafficking continues unabated. My Ministry has a working group to review our drug enforcement and rehabilitation programme and to recommend measures, if necessary, to further enhance the effectiveness of the programme. In addition, a senior police officer with experience in drug matters will soon be assigned to the Prisons Department to plan and implement measures to improve the relapse rate of both drug addicts and prisoners.

Dr S. Vasoo (Bo Wen): Sir, what is the state of inhalant abuse in Singapore and what steps are being taken to curb this problem?

Dr Lee Boon Yang: Mr Deputy Speaker, the problem of inhalant abuse in recent years has been increasing. But for the details of the steps that are being taken to deal with this problem, may I suggest that the Member for Bo Wen submit another question.