Effectiveness of Dadah Itu Haram campaign in changing attitudes towards recreational drug use

Questions:

Mr Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik: To ask the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs since the launch of the Dadah Itu Haram campaign in 2017 (a) whether the Ministry has commissioned perception studies or longitudinal research to assess changes in attitude s towards recreational drug use among Malay/Muslim youth; (b) if so; whether the findings can be made available; and (c) if not, whether the Ministry will consider undertaking such study to measure the campaign's effectiveness.

Mr Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik: To ask the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs (a) how does the Ministry ensure that the Dadah Itu Haram campaign effectively reaches at-risk youths within the Malay/Muslim community; and (b) what metrics are used to as sess the resonance and behavioural impact of the campaign’s messaging among vulnerable subgroups within the community.


Answer:

Mr K Shanmugam, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs:

1. The Dadah Itu Haram (or “DIH” in short) campaign was launched in April 2017, in consultation with community leaders, to raise awareness within the Malay community about the harms of drugs.

2. The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) and all 70 mosques in Singapore help spread the DIH message widely to the Malay community. With the launch of the DIH grant for mosques in August 2024, an estimated 4,000 participants are engaged via mosqu es’ DIH-related events and activities yearly.

3. A Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) survey of the Malay community in 2020 found that 75% were aware of the DIH campaign, and 71% had a positive perception of it. CNB reviewed the detailed findings together with MUIS and community leaders. Following this revi ew, the DIH’s campaign focus shifted from merely raising awareness, to encouraging mutual care and a healthy and drug-free lifestyle. The DIH tagline was refreshed in 2022 with the message, “Ambil Peduli, Hadir Di Sisi”, meaning “Show Care, Be There”.

4. Over the years, the DIH campaign has built up a strong ecosystem of partners and programmes to reach out to youths, including at-risk youths, through activities such as futsal and cycling. Ex-abusers who have stories that youths can relate to, are also in vited to share their experiences and help guide youths away from drugs.

5. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the National Council Against Drug Abuse (NCADA) conduct regular surveys to understand public perceptions and attitudes towards drugs and drug policies in Singapore. NCADA’s latest 2025 National Drug Perception Survey found that attitudes towards drugs amongst youths have turned more conservative, as more youths perceive that drug abuse is harmful. 87.7% held cons ervative views, compared to 83.2% in 2023. This is an indication of the effectiveness of our preventive drug education efforts, which includes the DIH campaign.