Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on the Trend of Young Drug Offenders and Traffickers under 14 and 16 Years Old in the Past 10 Years

Question:

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs over the past 10 years, whether there has been an increasing trend of young drug offenders and traffickers respectively, who are under (i) 14 years of age and (ii) 16 years of age.

Answer:

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

1.   We have not observed an increasing trend of individuals, under the ages of 16 or 14, committing drug offences. This applies to drug offences of consumption, possession, and trafficking.

2.   Between 2012 and 2021, each year, an average of 49 persons under the age of 16 were arrested and investigated for all drug offences. Of these, about 10% were under the age of 14.

3.   As for the offence of drug trafficking, an average of four persons under the age of 16 were arrested and investigated each year. Of these, persons under the age of 14 formed a small proportion, less than 6%. In fact, in the past ten years, only two persons under the age of 14 had been arrested.

4.   While the trend has remained stable, the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) is aware that some younger people take a more permissive attitude towards drugs, especially cannabis. CNB will continue to monitor the situation closely and sustain its preventive drug education efforts.