DrugFreeSG Video Competition 2026 Awards Ceremony – Opening Remarks by Mr Edwin Tong, Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs

Good morning, everyone. Mr Sebastian Tan, Director CNB, SPH colleagues, teachers, parents, students, ladies and gentlemen. A very good morning to all of you. Such a pleasure to join you at this morning's award ceremony for the DrugFreeSG Video Competition 2026.

Today, we come together not just to recognise the efforts, all the efforts of our youth, the creativity, the passion, the energy. But what really heartens me is that you are doing this because you stand behind the commitment that makes Singapore drug free. It is a shared vision and one that we really have to partner with one another to keep Singapore drug-free.

Youth today are exposed to a really wide range of different influences. We used to have them in the past, but today with social media, it has really grown in scale and in breadth. And these influences come from many sources: social media, I mentioned, but also from peers, from popular culture. What we see on TV, on Netflix, on YouTube, we see online content, and of course, family environment where we work, live, and play, and also the broader societal trends around the world.

Some of these influences encourage healthy choices and resilience, but there are also some which begin to popularise, or normalise, and maybe even glamorise drug abuse, drug use. For instance, social media may portray cannabis as natural; it is just a naturally occurring substance. So what is the harm? And it's no problem. It's not addictive. A casual comment like "you do you”, you know what it means? It means do whatever makes you happy, even if it means trying out drugs, and such kind of permissive attitudes frame drug abuse as simply a personal choice with no impact on others.

But we know, we know from what we have seen that is not true. Drug abuse has an impact on the people who love them the most: the family, the community, schoolmates, classmates, workmates, society.

In addition, content from a public figure or someone with a strong online personality with high social currency can sometimes make drug use even look fashionable or harmless. For example, American rapper and entertainer, Snoop Dogg. He appeared in an episode of Double G News Network (GGN) with actor Seth Williams. They discussed cannabis culture and they discussed it in a very relaxed setting, conversational setting, and cannabis paraphernalia were featured during the conversation. They talked about it. They used it, and such casual portrayals by prominent personalities can make drug use really appear ordinary, acceptable, maybe even fashionable, cool and lifestyle.

These messages may not directly tell someone that you should take drugs, try it, or abuse drugs. But you know what it is, over time, the repeated exposure – you see, you hear about it once, twice, several times – it just lowers your mental risk perception, and makes these harmful behaviors seem like they are just normal. You know what? Everyone does it. Even my idols, my people online, they do it.

Now, why does this matter? From time to time, we take a national survey on drug perception. We get a sense of how people perceive drugs. At the National Council Against Drug Abuse (NCADA) and Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB), we do our surveys. They found that in 2025, 87.7% of youths held a conservative view on drugs, and that's up from 83.2% in 2023. So, it is an improvement. The perception that you hold against drugs is important because the first step to saying no is that in your mind you must understand the risks, and so we see that as a positive sign.

But there remains still to be some areas of concern. While the majority of our youths feel strongly against drugs, in 2025 the youngest drug abuser arrested in Singapore was just 12 years old. Half of the new drug abusers arrested are below 30 years old, which means they are getting younger and younger. And amongst new cannabis abusers arrested, six in 10, that is 60 percent, were below 30. So, it shows you the concerns that we have, and if you do not take steps today, we might see a problem downstream.

Now we know that young people face real pressure in social situations. And based on a survey conducted by CNB for the uninfluenced campaign in 2025. One in two youths in Singapore said that it would be difficult to reject drugs if offered in a social setting. Three in five said they might feel personally pressured or influenced to try drugs in such situations, and it is often in such situations that it arises, either in a high-pressure environment where you are feeling that maybe it is you against the world, or it is exams, or difficulties in school or relationships, and you find that that is a time when maybe I am vulnerable. Let's try something else. Or you are in an environment where it is cool and hip, and everyone in your class is trying it, and you feel the pressure. We understand it. We see that happening, and we understand the pressure.

Against this backdrop, we must redouble our efforts. We must continue to reinforce what we believe are societal norms, and that includes youth societal norms against drugs.

The theme of this year's DrugFreeSG video competition, “exposing and preventing the hidden influences that destroys lives”, looks beneath the seemingly harmless messages and those moments of death, the social media trends that downplay the harm of drugs, popular personalities who make drug consumption look more acceptable or fashionable, and peer pressure that can turn curiosity into a life-changing decision. In fact, it is not just life-changing; it can be a life-destroying decision. The campaign calls on youths not just to identify such adverse influences, but to act decisively to reject them.

This year, we were very encouraged. We received 112 entries in the campaign, 45 in the Young Adult Category and 67 in the Youth Category.

Let me take a moment to commend every young person who has stepped forward to share your ideas and creativity. Each of your entry not just reflects your creativity, your style, your artistic element, but it more fundamentally reflects your willingness to step forward, to play a part, to lend your hand, to influence the values that shape young people today, and your willingness to do something to confront the hidden influences around us and contributing your voice to a drug-free Singapore.

The winning videos bring this theme to life from the perspective of young people themselves. Earlier on, we were just chatting that it is just a lot more powerful when it is told through the voice and seen through the lens of a young person who is in that position, confronting the challenges, facing the pressure, the peer pressure, and being able to stand above this all through the content that you have prepared in the videos.

Your videos reveal how harmful influences can really hide in ordinary situations, showing that having awareness and the frame of mind, the critical thinking, the courage, and the peer support can really change outcomes.

In the Youth Category, finalist team “CHS Ion Group C”, from Catholic High School (Secondary), examines how drug use seems like an escape for one feeling isolated, and I think we come across that experience from time to time. And the video also shows how seeking a sense of belonging through friends and online spaces can normalise drug use. It also shows that there are healthier ways to cope by reconnecting with what matters to us and seeking help early.

In the Young Adult Category, finalist team “ThePugs” examines how people we trust can pressurise and influence our choices with things that are seemingly presented as harmless fun. It's like you know what we always hear sometimes in the movies, “It's okay. Just once doesn't matter, won't die, right?”. But once becomes twice, twice becomes four times, and so on. The video also shows how our own words and actions may influence others to recognise these pressures before curiosity turns into consequences.

Overall, the videos that we have seen remind us that hidden influences begin to lose their power and their influence when they are brought into the open, when someone is prepared to speak up about it, confront it, and challenge those assumptions. By recognising manipulation, challenging misinformation, and really closing the gap with one another, standing with one another side by side, and looking out for one another in society. All of these steps and measures can help young persons prevent drug abuse even before it begins and strengthen our collective vision for a drug-free Singapore.

To all our award recipients, my warmest congratulations. Your creativity, your conviction, and courage have really brought the competition's message to life. I hope that your videos continue to spark conversations beyond today, will help us to shift attitudes and inspire others to stand up for a drug-free Singapore. We can no longer take the approach where we know that we should not take drugs and keep it amongst ourselves. We must transition to being advocates as well, and this is in part what these videos do.

I would like to also show my appreciation to SPH Media. Thank you very much for partnering with CNB on this very meaningful initiative. I thank the many teachers, the schools, many parents who have been important in this journey to encourage our youth to speak up and play a part in creating these videos and lending a hand to shaping the behavior and the norms of young people today.

Teachers can open young minds to the truth about drugs. Parents can start conversations early, but it is also important to listen without judgment, because they are facing the pressures of a new generation. So, we must listen without judgment and give the youth the confidence to speak up when they encounter harmful influences. And youth in turn, you play a really tremendous role because you inspire your peers, and the peer influence is particularly strong. It is much better, as I have said, the coming in the voice and through the lens of a young person themselves, and how you lead by example. When each of us comes together and plays our part, together we can shape a future in which every young person feels empowered to live a drug-free life, where staying drug-free becomes what is normalised, becomes what is fashionable.

Thank you very much for joining us this morning and for this meaningful initiative and occasion. Enjoy the rest of the day.