Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Progress of Inter-Ministry Committee on Drug Prevention for Youths

Question:

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether he can provide an update on the progress of the Inter-Ministry Committee (IMC) on Drug Prevention for Youths; (b) what are the initiatives rolled out by the IMC; and (c) what are its future plans.

Answer:

Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law:

1. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) last updated Parliament on the work of the Inter-Ministry Committee (IMC) on Drug Prevention for Youths at the 2024 Committee of Supply debate, as well as during the Ministerial Statement on Singapore’ Drug Control Policy in May 2024.

2. We have made further progress. To date, we have appointed over 1,000 DrugFreeSG Champions and equipped them with the skills and knowledge to spread the anti-drug message in their communities. We launched the Drug Victims Remembrance Day at Ngee Ann Civic Plaza on 17 May 2024, which was followed by a roving exhibition across eight different locations between May and July 2024. Over 35,000 people attended those exhibitions. We have also worked to ensure that every Singaporean in school and in our institutes of higher learning, as well as those serving full-time National Service, will receive preventive drug education messaging at least once a year.

3. There are more plans in the pipeline. MHA will provide another update on the IMC’s work at the 2025 Committee of Supply debate.