Community Partners and Colleagues

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good evening. 

Chronicles of the fight against Heroin

2.                  It is my pleasure today to launch the book entitled, “Slaying the Dragon – Singapore’s fight against drug abuse”. This book chronicles the experiences and achievements of Singapore in turning the tide against heroin abuse.

3.                  Given Singapore’s improved drug situation in the past decade, it is easy to forget that we once faced the daunting spectre of heroin abuse with its trail of gloom and grief.  As Singapore gets more connected with the world, we must guard against any slackening of our approach of zero tolerance against drug abuse. If we take a lax approach to abuse of drugs whether “soft’ or “hard”, we will soon find ourselves back in the dark alleys to drug abuse.

4.                  Those of us who were directly involved in the battle against heroin, and witnessed the untold sufferings caused, are all too well aware of the challenges Singapore had to overcome to reach where we are today. But those who did not experience Singapore’s fight against drug abuse may take the well-controlled drug situation today for granted. When we prepared for the National Seminar on drug abuse last year, I realised that hardly any of the officers who were involved in the early fight against drug abuse remained.  Senior Minister of State A/P Ho Peng Kee and I were among the few who were involved from the beginning.  That is why I asked that a book be commissioned to document the story of Singapore’s anti-drug fight, as a source of reference for those who take over this task in future.

5.                  This book is also Singapore’s contribution to the international war against drugs.  Many countries today are still embroiled in a tough battle with the problem of heroin.  We cannot say that everything we have done is applicable or transferable to other countries, but we do hope this book can serve as a useful guide for them.

6.                  Today, we are glad to be able to tell the story of how Singapore overcame the heroin problem, and share the many important lessons we learnt as we fought against the scourge we faced.

Fighting Heroin Abuse

7.                  The battle strategy was the result of an evolving process of careful deliberation and periodic adjustments in response to the evolving situation.

8.                  Singapore first encountered the heroin problem when we were still in the early years of nation-building. The worsening drug situation in the 1970’s had a very negative effect on our nation’s development. The early cases of drug abuse then involved secondary school students experimenting with drugs like MX pills. The situation worsened quickly and hard drugs like ganja and heroin appeared on the scene. As the number of addicts swelled, it soon became apparent that drug abuse had become a national problem affecting different segments of our society. The Government therefore decided to act.  CNB stepped up their enforcement operations. The laws were also tightened to check and deter drug offenders. However, heroin abuse continued unabated and the drug treatment and rehabilitation centres could hardly cope with the swelling number of addicts.  We realised then that there was a need for a more coordinated, holistic approach in dealing with the heroin scourge in all its manifestations.

9.                  In 1994, the Government adopted a comprehensive, multi-pronged, multi-agency approach to counter the drug scourge. This approach became Singapore’s style of fighting drugs. It comprised high-profile preventive drug education, vigorous enforcement, compulsory treatment and rehabilitation, and continued aftercare.  Laws were amended to deal with drug traffickers, syndicates and hardcore abusers.  Slowly, the recalcitrants began to see the need to change and take responsibility for their own addictions.

10.             Having a game plan to fight drugs was not enough.  We also needed to have the people with the right attitude and aptitude, and the resources to do their work. The Government is fortunate to have dedicated leaders and officers from the lead agencies who rose to the challenge and took up the task with great zeal and conviction.

Power of the community

11.             A crucial player in the battle against drug abuse was and still is the community.  Borrowing a leaf from Hong Kong’s Action Council Against Narcotics, I formed the National Council Against Drug Abuse or NCADA in short, to lead the community focus in this battle. I persuaded Lim Hock San to chair NCADA. He in turn galvanised a diverse group of government and non-government bodies, members of the community and business leaders to come together in a unified effort to fight against the drug menace.

12.             These organisations include the Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association, self-help groups such as MENDAKI, Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA), Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC), Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS) and Association of Malay Professionals (AMP), and the many half-way houses, as well as the Central Narcotics Bureau, Singapore Prisons Service, Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises or SCORE, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. The response from the local advertising community too was also very encouraging - as they came forward to volunteer their creative talents to the public education campaign. For the first time, very graphic and hard-hitting posters were conceptualized and displayed all over Singapore.  Over time, the quality of our preventive education messaging grew in sophistication and outreach.

13.             The Community Action for the Rehabilitation of Ex-Offenders or the CARE Network, which brings together various community and government organisations in reforming offenders, is another exemplary display of the community’s partnership with the Government. The Yellow Ribbon Project was introduced in 2004 to encourage the community to give ex-offenders a second chance. More employers are now willing to offer jobs to former offenders including ex-drug abusers.

14.             Whether they are from voluntary welfare organisations, self-help groups or private companies, our community partners bring a different perspective to the government’s anti-drug measures and provide valuable insights and contributions which allow these measures to be fine-tuned and enhanced.

Emerging Areas of Concern

15.             Today, the heroin situation in Singapore is very much under control. The total heroin abuser population in the drug rehabilitation centres (DRCs) also dropped considerably from about 8,900 inmates in 1994 to 24 inmates in Oct 2006. The syndicates and their distribution networks remain severely disrupted.

16.             Lest we think that the battle is over, new threats have emerged.   Synthetic drugs have become an increasing concern in the region and beyond. Such drugs are especially popular among young people. I am concerned that the younger generation associate taking such drugs as part of a “cool” lifestyle. If such an attitude towards drugs is allowed to take root, it will undermine the success we have achieved so far in this battle against drug abuse.  We must press on to alert the young against the dangers of drug abuse, and continue to foster a zero tolerance towards drug abuse.

17.             Another emerging area of concern is the abuse of prescription drugs in some countries. In Singapore, Subutex, a prescription drug that was brought in to treat heroin addiction in an MOH programme, ended up being widely abused. In August this year, the active ingredient of Subutex, Buprenorphine, was listed as a “Class A” controlled drug. This episode tells us that the drug abuse scene is very dynamic and we must remain ever vigilant to new drug threats.  All Government agencies and the medical profession need to keep a close eye on the drug situation. 

Keeping up Zero Tolerance of Drug Abuse

18.             We need vigilance to ensure that our efforts continue to be relevant and effective as new trends emerge and as the demographic profile of drug abusers shifts.  Partnership is key as the Government cannot do it alone.  Our community partners play a critical role in the different prongs of our anti-drug strategy.  And finally we need to remain committed to a drug-free Singapore, as the battle is ongoing, with new dangers in the horizon.  We have to keep up the strong sense of purpose that will help us overcome new challenges.

19.             Many of you here today were involved in Singapore’s fight against the heroin scourge. You are the heroes in Singapore’s success story. The book, “Slaying the Dragon – Singapore’s fight against drug abuse”, acknowledges the contributions of various individuals and organisations from the community and the Government to Singapore’s success in this battle against drug abuse. The book is a tribute to you for your efforts.  If we have inadvertently left out acknowledging the contributions of any group, please excuse us for this oversight.

20.             Thank you for the dedication and the good job done over the years.  Together, let us remain vigilant to the new challenges and continue to work hand in hand for a drug-free Singapore. Thank you.

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