DrugFreeSG Champions Conference 2025 – Speech by Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Digital Development and Information and Second Minister for Home Affairs

1. Colleagues and friends, a very good afternoon to:

(a) Members of the Inter-Ministry Committee (“IMC”) on Drug Prevention for Youths;

(b) Our DrugFreeSG Champions;

(c) Home Team officers; and

(d) Partners, advocates and volunteers.

2. I am very pleased to join you this afternoon. This conference is a milestone for the IMC. Let me take this opportunity to thank all our IMC partners, champions and volunteers, for your dedication to Singapore’s fight against drugs.

Global Drug Situation Worsens

3. The drug situation around the world is bleak, to say the least.

(a) A World Health Organization report that was published in June 2024 found that 600,000 deaths annually are due to drugs. In fact, one person dies every minute.

(b) Yet, drug abuse continues to increase worldwide. And governments around the world continue to loosen their controls on drugs, decriminalising, and even legalising their use. In 2022, one in 18 people globally had used a drug in the past 12 months – one in 18. This is 20% higher compared to a decade ago.

4. The drug situation in our region is just as challenging.

(a) The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported that in 2023, a record 190 tonnes of meth were seized in our region. That is the weight of two Boeing 737 aircraft. Just imagine the amount of drugs, and you know, with just a little, how much damage can already be done.

(b) The UNODC also reported that Myanmar has overtaken Afghanistan to be the world’s largest producer of opium. Opium is used to synthesise heroin, one of the commonly abused drugs in Singapore.

Drugs Don’t Just Harm the Abuser

5. There is widespread evidence that drugs make victims of many people beyond the abuser.

(a) Babies born to drug abusers may suffer from Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. It is a painful and heartbreaking condition. The babies shake, tremble, and they suffer seizures. A local study conducted by KK Hospital found that perinatal drug abuse leads to detrimental outcomes not just for the mother, but for the child.

(b) In the US, the percentage of children entering the foster care system due to parental drug abuse has more than doubled from 15% in 2000, to 36% in 2017. Because of the parents’ drug habits, they neglect the children.

(c) In the UK, the number of fatal collisions involving a driver impaired by drugs increased by 164% from 2014 to 2023. I certainly feel sorry – and I’m sure you do too – for the innocent parties, who were killed or injured in the accidents, because of the drug abuser.

6. The harms of drugs do not stop there. Drug abuse is also associated with crimes – certainly in Singapore.

(a) We read shocking reports every now and then of gang violence over drugs in Europe and Latin America. These acts of violence have also hurt innocent bystanders. Politicians who speak up against drugs have been targeted by the drug cartels and the drug gangs.

(b) Closer to home, about one in four prisoners convicted of non-drug crimes had drug-related priors, for example robbery to feed their drug habit. Others committed violence while under the influence of drugs.

(i) In March 2022, a man under the influence of meth threatened the lives of four police officers with a knife.

(ii) A more recent case took place in December 2024. A man attacked and injured two police officers who were patrolling the neighbourhood. Drugs and drug-taking utensils were found on him.

Youth Drug Abuse Is a Growing Concern in Singapore, in Particular, Cannabis

7. Despite these challenges, our drug situation is generally under control.

(a) The number of abusers and traffickers arrested in Singapore has remained stable from year to year.

(b) The market value of drug seizures has declined, from $15 million in 2023 to $13 million in 2024.

8. This would not have been possible without persistent and deliberate anti-drug efforts. We enact tough laws and enforce them robustly. We educate the public on the harms of drugs, and provide evidence-based treatment and rehabilitation of abusers.

9. But, we still see worrying trends.

(a) First, young people appear to have more permissive attitudes towards drugs, as seen in our regular surveys.

(b) Second, abuse is now starting at a much younger age. The youngest abuser arrested last year was just 13 years old.

(c) Third, the number of new drug abusers below 20 years of age arrested in 2024 increased by 30% from the previous year. This is the second consecutive year of increase for the number of new drug abusers below 20 years of age.

(d) Fourth, of all cannabis abusers arrested in 2024, over 60% were new abusers – meaning that, they were discovered for the first time, and apprehended through the law.

Cannabis

10. Indeed, we continued to make big seizures of cannabis in Singapore in 2024, suggesting strong demand for the drug.

11. The National Council Against Drug Abuse’s Drug Perception Survey of 2023 found that 73% of youths and almost 90% of adults felt that drugs in general were more harmful than tobacco. However, only 55% of youths and 77% of adults felt the same for cannabis. Why is this so? Likely because misinformation on cannabis is frequently seen around us.

12. There are all kinds of ridiculous claims, for example: “Cannabis is natural, so it must be safe.”; “It is legal in other countries, so how harmful can it be and why must we take such a tough stance in Singapore?”; or “Cannabis is not very different from alcohol or tobacco. And since it’s not against the law once you reach a certain age to consume alcohol and to smoke a cigarette, why should it be so problematic that we consume cannabis?”. These assertions, however, cannot be further from the truth.

13. The science on cannabis is very clear and it is compelling: cannabis is addictive, with far-reaching and irreversible health effects.

(a) The International Narcotics Control Board – which is the independent body that monitors the implementation of UN drug control conventions, has warned that cannabis-related health problems have increased in all jurisdictions where recreational cannabis has been permitted. Admissions for cannabis-related psychotic disorders have quadrupled worldwide between 2000 and 2018.

(b) Beyond physical detriments such as headaches and nausea, cannabis consumption has also led to neurological damage, including psychosis, memory issues and mood swings. It impairs a person’s ability to think clearly and function normally.

14. There is research which found that the earlier someone starts to abuse cannabis, the more adverse the effects there will be. A 2012 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the US found that younger cannabis abusers and those who are more persistent in their use of cannabis, will also have a greater tendency to suffer cognitive impairment. In other words, it damages their brain.

(a) In fact, the study found that stopping cannabis abuse thereafter would not restore neuro-psychological functioning. In other words, you can stop the cannabis, but you cannot stop the harm that it has caused. In other words, once the damage is done, there is permanence.

15. It is unfortunate that in some jurisdictions, despite having access to such research findings, have gone ahead to experiment with “recreational cannabis”. This is dangerous and irresponsible, because they are essentially experimenting with the lives of their people. And the experiments have invariably failed.

(a) In the US, doctors see up to 6 million patients with symptoms of severe nausea, vomiting and pain, caused by cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, or CHS for short.

(b) In Canada, between 2006 and 2015, the rate of cannabis-related hospitalisations doubled, namely for psychotic disorders.

(c) Closer to home, we have the experience of Thailand. Within six months of changing the law to decriminalise cannabis, the number of cannabis addicts quadrupled. The Thai government had then intended to re-criminalise the use of cannabis, but faced fierce opposition from those seeking to profit from it. And so that shows very clearly: once you decriminalise, you will find it very difficult to roll things back.

16. And the reports from these countries, on the impact on the abusers, are really very distressing to read. One teenager in the US was injured when he pressed his body against a hot car. He did that out of desperation because of the pain caused by CHS. In Thailand, a 3-year-old girl who ate part of a cookie containing cannabis had to be rushed to hospital.

17. We can quantify the cost to society of drug abuse.

(a) Australia did so - from 2015 to 2016, the estimated cost to Australian society of cannabis abuse was AUD4.5 billion, comprising direct costs such as crime and criminal justice, and health care costs, as well as intangible costs such as premature deaths.

(b) In Singapore, an NTU study found that the cost of drug crime in Singapore was SGD1.2 billion in 2015. And that is despite our very strong drug control regime.

What DrugFreeSG Champions Can Do

18. We are clearly swimming against the global tide, but we must continue to do what is right for Singapore. DrugFreeSG Champions can have a significant impact on keeping Singapore drug-free.

19. You can do so in big ways and small, to educate and positively influence the community, especially our youths.

(a) I want to give special mention to your efforts in our schools and institutes of higher learnings (IHLs). Because the trend shows very clearly that younger abusers are starting to appear. For example, students who are Primary 4 and older would all have participated in preventive drug education activities in 2024. You also played a part in the Drug Victims Remembrance Day activities in our schools and IHLs that were held last year.

20. I would sincerely like to ask all of you to continue to advocate for a drug-free Singapore within your own spheres of influence.

(a) Lead by example as role models, and exemplify the benefits of a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.

(b) Contribute your expertise in drug prevention initiatives.

(i) For example, we have been equipping commanders in MINDEF and MHA with drug prevention knowledge. They are then better able to identify and support fellow service personnel who need help, or who may be at risk of drug abuse.

(ii) Another example: DrugFreeSG Champions have been helping to spread anti-drug messages in IHLs at key junctures like their orientation briefings. This is important because we know that youths may be exposed to drugs during overseas development stints, such as exchange programmes.

21. Now, I am always very grateful when we hear stories of DrugFreeSG Champions, who go out of their way and extend their services beyond the call of duty. Mr Zulhaqem Zulkifli from the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth was formerly a volunteer para-counsellor with the Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association (SANA), where he counselled and lent a listening ear to drug abusers at SANA’s walk-in centre. He still contributes to the community through his ground-up initiative known as Project Hills, dedicated to supporting underprivileged families and individuals in public rental housing estates. He also serves as a panellist for Young ChangeMakers, which is a by-the-youth-for-the-youth programme, organised by the National Youth Council. They prepare challenge statements on drug issues for youths to come up with their own solutions. Well, this message is for Zul, and everyone that is like Zul: please keep up your passion for a drug-free Singapore.

Plans Ahead

22. And so before I end, I want to give you a preview of the plans in the store for Champions. CNB has assembled a suite of resources to support you. There will be newsletter updates, training and networking opportunities, and online resources which can be customised to your needs.

23. In 2025, we will also:

(a) Produce more bite-sized training materials that you can access online at your convenience;

(b) Sustain public anti-drug awareness through our second Drug Victims Remembrance Day – that is something that is on the cards; and

(c) What’s more, you will want to support parents and guardians with resources to become advocates for a drug-free lifestyle within their families and communities. From the 2023 NCADA survey, we saw that youths who have had conversations with their parents or guardians on the harms of drugs are more deterred from experimenting with drugs, so this will be a priority for us.

Conclusion

24. In conclusion, I look forward to working together with you to keep Singapore drug-free, and to engaging with our youths in dialogue.

25. Thank you very much.