The Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association (SANA) Charity Gala Dinner 2026 - Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs

SANA President Gillian,

Members of the SANA Board of Management,

Ladies and Gentlemen, to the many donations, partners, and volunteers of SANA

A very good evening to all of you.

Introduction

1. For more than five decades, SANA has been a steadfast partner in Singapore’s fight against drugs.

2. Since its establishment in 1972, SANA has worked alongside the Government step by step, alongside community partners, working with volunteers, employers, and families to prevent drug abuse, and to support, in a very structured, scaffolding way, recovery, and help persons-in-recovery rebuild their lives, reintegrate with community, and find value in staying the course, and ensuring that they rehabilitate fully. Not just themselves, but they within their families and communities as well.

3. Tonight’s theme, “Denim & Diamonds” – I did reflect on why this theme was chosen and what it meant – stands for the enduring strength of denim, but also the resilience of a diamond forged under pressure.

4. And with the determination, resilience, and support of those around them, persons-in-recovery can really overcome their past and rebuild their lives.

Singapore’s Fight Against Drugs

5. Everyone here will know that Singapore has taken, and will continue to take, a firm and very comprehensive approach towards drugs, combining tough enforcement on the one hand, with prevention, rehabilitation, and a very strong focus on reintegration.

6. But at the same time, despite what we have been doing over the years, the drug situation remains a serious concern, particularly amongst the young.

7. In 2025, the Central Narcotics Bureau arrested more than 3,200 drug abusers. 28%, or almost a third, were below the age of 30. And amongst new drug abusers arrested, half were below the age of 30. And most concerningly of course, the youngest person arrested for drug abuse was only 12 years old.

8. These numbers tell us that the trend is moving in a particular direction, and we cannot for a moment let up on both our drug enforcement stance and tough policy, but also on the steps we need to take to look at rehabilitation and reintegration.

9. At the same time, one of the trends that has been driving these numbers, is because drugs have become a lot more accessible, as traffickers find new and novel ways to reach potential abusers. At the same time, what is also driving this is a more permissive approach towards drugs in many other parts of the world. Sometimes, selling or socialising the drugs as something that is a lifestyle, or that is cool. The risk is that we normalise drug use and we diminish awareness of its harms. That is something Singapore must be very conscious of as well. The young are plugged in on social media and very much exposed to such influences.

10. So, we must remain extra vigilant. We have been so, but in today’s high tech, fast-transmitting social media framework, we must be extra vigilant and a lot more steadfast and coordinated in our efforts — strengthening protection, prevention, as well as early intervention, and sustaining a very clear and consistent anti-drug message right across. This is essential to protecting our young, ensuring that we preserve the progress that we have made in our fight against drugs today.

11. But even as we remain firm in our efforts against drugs, we must continue to support those who might have fallen into drug abuse. Everyone outside Singapore knows we take a very firm anti-drug policy. When it comes to enforcement, we are tough. But not everyone knows that we have a strong framework that encourages, supports, scaffolds reintegration and rehabilitation, and that’s what we must continue to do.

12. There has been encouraging progress on this front as well. The two-year recidivism rate for the 2023 release cohort was 21.9%. It shows very good progress. For those released from the Drug Rehabilitation Centre (DRC), the two-year recidivism rate fell from 30.8% to 26.1%. Again, very good progress.

13. These outcomes are not the efforts of one entity alone. It’s a combination of our prisons, community partners, employers, volunteers – who often work quietly behind the scenes, and families – all coming together to support rehabilitation and reintegration.

SANA’s Role in the Throughcare Journey

14. I want to give credit to the work SANA has done.

15. Singapore’s throughcare approach recognises that rehabilitation does not begin nor end in prison nor at the DRC.

16. For recovery to be sustained, support must continue as individuals begin to return to society and their families, and also workplaces and communities.

17. In this regard, SANA has been a very important partner in this journey, providing an entire continuum of support spanning prevention, rehabilitation, and reintegration.

18. Prevention begins with reaching our young before drugs do. The idea of going upstream, inoculating, making sure our messages become pervasive, is really important. We can’t do enough of it.

19. Through school talks and other initiatives such as the SANA ACT Badge Programme, SANA reaches out to young people and then equips them with the knowledge and confidence to make informed choices and advocate for a drug-free lifestyle. In 2026, SANA's preventive drug education efforts reached 48 schools and more than 43,000 students.

20. SANA is also finding new ways to engage young people and families, including through “The Last Hour”. SANA ACTivate, which equips parents and caregivers to recognise warning signs and have conversations with their children about drugs. Very often, the first responders will be the family members, and what we want to do is reach out to them, and train and equip them to be able to recognise the signs.

21. SANA's efforts extend beyond prevention to walking alongside persons-in-recovery and their families. This is the part of the programme, when I read about the stories and learn about their efforts, it touches me a lot. This is not something that is glamorous, but the constant effort to walk alongside an abuser, as he or she integrates. These journeys are seldom linear – there will be up moments, and there will be terrible down moments as well. It is important that every volunteer stay the course – they don’t give up. That’s a real testament, not just to SANA, but to every individual who is a volunteer here.

22. Through SANA’s Step-Up Centres and programmes such as SANAbration and S.A.M. – Sports, Art and Music, SANA creates opportunities in these spaces for persons-in-recovery and their families to find a neutral platform, like through sports, art, or music, to reconnect, socialise, and rebuild trust and strengthen relationships.

23. Since January this year, SANA has supported 241 clients and their families through more than 2,027 engagements.

24. SANA also works closely with partners in the community. Its collaboration with UNIQLO under the Neighbours Helping Neighbours initiative, for example, provides pre-loved clothing to clients and families who need additional support.

25. Through the Yellow Ribbon Community Project, SANA and its volunteers have also supported more than 2,900 families affected by incarceration.

The Power of Lived Experience

26. One particularly meaningful aspect of SANA’s work is its Peer Leaders Programme.

27. Drawing on their own experiences of drug abuse and recovery, many of them have tremendous stories to tell – stories of initial hardship, of falling by the wayside, but then of resilience, strength, fortitude, conviction and gumption. Many of these stories are worth telling. Peer Leaders support one another and others on their recovery journeys, while at the same time giving back to society by reaching out to youths at risk, persons-in-recovery, and their families.

28. One such Peer Leader is Nabil. By the age of 25, Nabil had been in prison three times for drug-related offences, losing seven years of his youth. It was during his third incarceration that he resolved to change. Whilst in prison, he began helping fellow inmates understand their court documents, write letters, and make appeals.

29. Today, that desire to help others has become an important part of Nabil’s journey.

30. Nabil today works at Pro Bono SG. He is also in his fourth year of law school, and he serves as a SANA Peer Leader. He draws on his own tough experiences to instil courage in others. These experiences he shares support and inspire persons-in-recovery and their families, and Nabil also speaks to students constantly about the consequences of drug abuse.

31. His ambition is to become a lawyer and use his experience to help others who, like him once, may feel that they might have had nowhere else to turn.

32. Nabil’s journey reminds us that recovery is not only about rebuilding one’s own life. It can also be about using one’s experiences to help support others when they are walking that lonely journey, to give them a helping hand, a comforting ear, and words of encouragement. Persons-in-recovery can become a source of strength for one another and make a positive difference in their communities. Oftentimes, the person we support today becomes the person who pays it forward by becoming someone who then helps someone else in that journey. I want to say a big thank you to Nabil, not just for the work you do, but for having the courage to share your story. It’s not easy. It’s a tough story, and oftentimes looked upon with some degree of shame. But sharing that story, which has taken courage, is something that lights the path forward for many other persons at risk. I thank you very much, Nabil, and the many other Peer Leaders for sharing their stories.

A Shared Responsibility

33. Finally, this fight against drugs – we can never let up. We can also do with many more partners and helping hands. It’s not something that either the Government, SANA, or any single organisation can do without the help of others. This is why today’s dinner is more than just a fundraising dinner – it is also about your presence. The sheer fact that you are present this evening shows that you support the work that SANA does, shows that you are prepared to come forward and help SANA to raise awareness; and that is half the battle. To be aware that we have a strong rehabilitative framework, reintegration desire, and a system that very much supports change. You might have fallen by the wayside or abused drugs, but there is always a second chance, and the work that SANA does pays a very strong homage to that ethos.

Conclusion

34. As SANA will mark its 55^th anniversary next year, an important milestone in its longstanding service, I would like to see how more partners can come together, and bring your own set of skills to the table, and there can be more awareness and more volunteers and peer leaders who are prepared to walk the journey side by side with a person in recovery. As a Peer Leader, to share your stories so that these stories could light up the path for others who come after you.

35. On that note, I wish you a very pleasant evening.

36. Thank you very much.