SANA’s Rise Above Campaign 2021 – Closing Address by Assoc Prof Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of National Development

Dear friends, SANA launched the “Rise Above Campaign” online two weeks ago on 26 June, to commemorate the UN-designated “International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking”. It is also known as the World Drug Day.

Since the launch of the campaign, SANA has managed to spread messages on the harms of drugs and corrected common misperceptions that certain drugs are harmless. I am pleased to hear that students from Temasek Polytechnic and SANA Peer Leaders have also joined in this effort.

The students produced anti-drug posters and shared messages of support towards the anti-drug cause. SANA Peer Leaders shared testimonies of their past abuse of drugs, their regrets, and how it affected their loved ones.

The message by the SANA Peer Leaders is clear – lives will get destroyed by drugs. Drugs not only affect abusers, but their families as well.

The goal towards a drug-free Singapore is one that all of us should aspire towards.  This has become even more precious and salient, in the wake of a global trend of an increasingly permissive approach towards the abuse of drugs.

Locally, we have also seen troubling indications that more youths are adopting more liberal views towards drugs. There is a danger that our youths may be swayed by the portrayal of drugs in the mass media which normalises drug abuse. We must therefore, keep up our efforts in reiterating anti-drug messages, backed up by credible research findings.

I would like to urge the community, especially parents with teenagers, to play our part by keeping ourselves informed and updated on the drug situation and trends.  We can start by knowing about the harms of drugs. In doing so, youths can turn to us for guidance or to correct their misperceptions on drugs.

Last but not least, I would like to thank SANA for organising the Rise Above Campaign. I hope to see more of our partners, schools and youths joining SANA in strengthening our anti-drug efforts.