Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Data on Drug Users Whose Parents are Themselves Drug Users, by Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law

Question:

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Home Affairs what are the factors in the Ministry’s decision not to collect data on the number of drug users whose parents are themselves drug users.

Answer:

1.         MHA’s assessment is that the data it collects is adequate for formulating its schemes. Different types of data are collected, and research studies are also conducted.

2.         In 2014, the Singapore Prison Service, SPS, conducted a research study on the behaviours of young drug abusers. The study found that young drug abusers were five to seven times more likely to come from a family with a history of drug abuse, compared to non-drug abusers. The findings from the study have been used for further analysis.

3.         In 2017, SPS conducted a study to understand how parental drug abuse impacts the next generation, whether they were more likely to commit crimes and abuse drugs. The study found that about one in five drug-abusing parents had at least one child who had also committed a crime or abused drugs. The findings of the study also affirmed many of SPS’s efforts to reduce the impact of drug abuse on an offender’s family.

4.         We will continue to conduct research where useful to inform our policies and programmes to mitigate inter-generational drug abuse and offending. We will also periodically review the data to be collected.