We cannot afford to be complacent. We know from our experience that once a society becomes hooked on drugs, it takes huge effort and a long time to wean off the addiction.
We will face challenges in future because first, the trend in many countries is to legalise drugs, in particular cannabis, for recreational use. Many of these countries have been unable to control their domestic drug situation and have decided to legalise drugs, in a bid to regain some control over the situation. Some countries have also lured been by the economic benefits of regulating the recreational use of drugs.
Whatever the motivation, these countries have advocated for a harm-reduction approach, which encourages “safer” use of drugs.
But this can easily go awry, despite their best intentions.
Singapore has our own case study. In 2002, Subutex was introduced as a legal prescription for treating opioid addiction. But some people started abusing Subutex as an alternative to heroin, injecting themselves to get a “high”. Within a few years, the number of Subutex abusers and Subutex-associated deaths increased significantly. At the same time, Subutex abusers were discarding their needles in public areas. Young children and the elderly were at risk of getting hurt from the needles, or worse, contracting some disease. We decided to put a stop to this. In 2006, Singapore listed Subutex as a controlled drug, and CNB mounted swift operations to wipe out Subutex from our streets.
We learnt a painful lesson from Subutex. We are under increasing pressure, both externally and internally, for us to consider legalising drugs. But we have no intention of doing so. We must decide what works for Singapore, and not just follow what others are doing.
Second, our youths today are frequently exposed to alternative lifestyles on social media. Drug use may be glamourised, giving the impression that using drugs is harmless, or even cool. Based on annual surveys conducted by the National Council Against Drug Abuse (NCADA), the attitudes of youths towards drugs are gradually becoming more liberal. This is a very worrying trend. We must push hard against it, to prevent our children and grandchildren from becoming the next generations of drug abusers.
CNB therefore needs to strengthen our national drug education efforts. Continue to find new ways to reach out and engage the population.
But the rest of us have a part to play too; to correct misinformation about drugs, to speak up against drug abuse within our social circles, to say “no” to drugs.
Collectively as a nation, we must continue to understand, believe in, and support Singapore’s zero-tolerance approach towards drugs.
- Excerpt of speech by PM Lee at CNB's 50 Anniversary
