Strengthening measures against youth recreational drug use

Question:

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Senior Minister, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs in light of the recent Coroner's findings linking two teenage deaths to methamphetamine intake, what further measures are being taken to clamp down on youth recreational drug use, particularly methamphetamine and new psychoactive substances, including their online promotion, supply and distribution.

Answer:

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

1. Youth drug abuse continues to be an area of concern, with Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) detecting more youth abusers over the years, at a younger age. In 2025, the youngest abuser arrested by the CNB was 12 years old, and half of the new drug abusers arrested were below 30 years old.

2. Recognising these challenges, the Inter-Ministry Committee on Drug Prevention for Youths (IMC) was formed in 2023 as a Whole-of-Government response to the youth drug problem. The IMC provides guidance on the deployment of resources and touchpoints across key sectors to further strengthen support for our youths throughout their developmental journey. This enables the authorities to combat youth drug abuse in a holistic and effective manner. For example, the Ministry of Education (MOE) uses age-appropriate activity packages for primary, secondary and pre-university levels to facilitate classroom discussions on the harms of drugs.

3. DrugFreeSG Champions actively engage youths to combat misinformation and promote messages within their spheres of influence. These Champions are appointed by the IMC and come from diverse backgrounds, including educators, student leaders, counsellors, youth workers, and parents. Currently, there are close to 1,000 DrugFreeSG Champions whom the IMC agencies actively support with resources. Parents are also encouraged to have open conversations with their children at home, supported by resources on MOE’s Parents Gateway and the CNB website.

4. CNB conducts regular DrugFreeSG campaigns to amplify the drug-free message to various target audiences, including the youths. In particular, the DrugFreeSG “Uninfluenced” campaign was launched in February 2025 with the aim of empowering youths to stay drug-free through non-traditional and innovative means of delivering Preventive Drug Education messages. The multi-year campaign allows participants to experience the influences surrounding drugs through gamified theatre and escape room experiences. The experience is amplified through content partnerships with influencers that highlight common permissive statements echoed by youths, for them to reflect on factors that have shaped their perceptions of drug abuse. 18 It seeks to strengthen community resilience against drug abuse and prevent its normalisation in youth culture, by challenging prevailing mindsets and indifference about drug abuse.

5. Singapore’s efforts have shown results in shifting youth perceptions away from drug abuse. Based on the National Drug Perception Survey 2025, there is a strong consensus amongst youths for a drug-free Singapore, and 87.7% of youths held conservative views of drugs compared to 83.2% in 2023.

6. On the enforcement front, CNB has been leveraging emerging technologies to sharpen its intelligence and investigative capabilities. CNB also works closely with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and courier companies to detect and disrupt drug trafficking activities.

7. Apart from the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA), CNB also utilises other existing legislative levers to enforce against the online promotion, supply and distribution of controlled drugs. For example, CNB will soon commence the issuance of directions under the Online Criminal Harms Act to online platforms to take down drug-related content, and direct platforms to furnish CNB with information to assist in investigations or in criminal proceedings.

8. CNB takes swift and decisive enforcement action against drug offenders, to prevent them from contaminating others within their social circles. We take a zero tolerance approach towards adult drug offenders who prey on the young, and such offenders are liable for enhanced punishments under the MDA.

9. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will continue to monitor the situation and enhance our enforcement capabilities and laws where necessary.