Harm Prevention Seminar 2020

1.     Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Home Affairs, Mrs Josephine Teo joined around 300 professionals in the field of drug prevention and rehabilitation at the Harm Prevention Seminar held at the Lifelong Learning Institute this afternoon.

2.     The seminar, organised by the Office of Chief Psychologist (OCP) under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), brought together academia, mental health experts and partners from across government and non-governmental agencies, who examined Singapore’s harm prevention approach and the scientific research and evidence supporting it.

3.     In her opening speech, Minister Teo spoke about how harm prevention, which comprises preventive drug education, tough laws and robust enforcement, and evidence-based rehabilitation, underpinned Singapore’s anti-drug approach. She emphasised the importance of maintaining a tough stance against drugs to prevent harm to our people and to society, especially against the backdrop of worrying global and regional drug trends and increasingly liberalised drug laws in other countries. Minister Teo urged the community to continue working closely with the Government for a drug-free Singapore.

4.     Experts in their respective fields (MHA, National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Institute of Mental Health (IMH) and Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association (SANA) gave presentations on topics ranging from the cost of drug crime in Singapore, to dealing with psychoactive substance abuse and the harms of cannabis use.

5.     A special edition of the Home Team Journal titled “Special Issue: Spotlight on Drugs” was also launched at the event. The journal documents research on various aspects of the drug problem, ranging from the social and economic costs that drugs impose on society, the dangerous consequences of liberalising drug policies, to the effectiveness of Singapore’s anti-drug policies. The journal will be available on the MHA website .