Singapore will maintain tough stance against drug abuse despite criticism: Shanmugam

Despite criticism of Singapore and international tolerance in attitudes towards drug abuse, the Republic will continue to take a very tough line in its war on drugs.

Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said this on March 12 at the Community Resilience Against Drug Abuse Roundtable 2026 held at Furama RiverFront hotel.

Citing the World Drug Report 2025, Mr Shanmugam, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security, said 292 million people worldwide used drugs in 2022. This figure jumped to about 316 million in 2023.

He said that while many countries had either given up on the fight against drugs or were planning to legalise drugs, Singapore had done the opposite by continuing to be tough on drugs.

And the young here support this, he said.

In his speech, Mr Shanmugam referred to the 2025 National Drug Perception Survey, which showed that nearly 93 per cent of youth respondents and more than 96 per cent of adult respondents said Singapore should continue to maintain its tough laws to keep drugs out of the country.

Also, support among youth respondents had increased since the last survey in 2023. More than 87 per cent of youth respondents said in 2025 that they see the harms and consequences of drug abuse, compared with about 83 per cent in 2023.

For adult respondents, the 2025 figure was about 90 per cent.

Added Mr Shanmugam: “The survey data is extremely heartening. It shows that when the Government takes the leadership, has clear policy, it articulates it, has community support... Effective public education can bring across to our people the harms of drugs.

“And people then are prepared to support our tough policy.”

Singapore’s stringent policy means upholding the death penalty for capital offences such as trafficking large amounts of drugs.

The minister mentioned Australian lawyer Lex Lasry, who had tried to represent a drug trafficker in Singapore but was unable to.

Mr Lasry had written in the Sydney Morning Herald in 2024 that the death penalty did not have a deterrent effect in Singapore’s context. 

Mr Shanmugam disagreed, saying there was clear evidence that the death penalty is effective here.

He said a study conducted in 2024 in the region found that more than 84 per cent of respondents believed the death penalty deterred people from trafficking substantial amounts of drugs into Singapore.

The study also showed that more than 82 per cent of respondents believed the death penalty was more effective than life imprisonment in discouraging people from trafficking drugs.

The authorities also conducted a public perception survey in 2025 on attitudes towards the death penalty. 

Nearly 87 per cent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the death penalty should be used for the most serious crimes, including drug trafficking. This was an increase from about 77 per cent in 2023. 

More young and new abusers were arrested in Singapore in 2025 for drug-related offences, with the youngest being 12 years old.

Figures released on Feb 10 by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) showed that of the 1,165 new drug abusers it arrested in 2025, half were below the age of 30.

The number of new drug abusers arrested had increased by 17 per cent from 2024.

The number of new drug abusers arrested who were below 20 years old increased by 22 per cent from 2024.

The roundtable on March 12 was organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Home Team Psychology Division (HTPD), together with psychologists from CNB and the Singapore Prison Service.

Along with community partners, the roundtable aims to co-create a Community Resilience Against Drug Abuse Model.

This model seeks to reduce drug initiation and long-term relapse rates as well as provide a framework to guide efforts against drug abuse in Singapore.

Dr Jasmin Kaur, a guest speaker at the roundtable and a senior principal psychologist at HTPD, said resilience is something that can be grown together.

Resilience against drug abuse refers to the capacity of individuals, families and communities to withstand and respond to and recover from drug-related challenges.

Said Dr Kaur, a clinical psychologist with over 20 years’ experience: “It’s not just about being tough or simply saying no to drugs. It’s also about building conditions and communities where drug abuse becomes harder to justify, and drug abstinence becomes easier to sustain.”

The March 12 event also saw the launch of a book titled Island of Hope: Psychological Perspectives on Drug Harm Prevention, authored by Home Team psychologists and correctional rehabilitation specialists.

It highlights how psychological principles strengthen resilience and promote recovery and reintegration in the ongoing effort to safeguard society from drug-related harms.

Mr Shanmugam said Singapore’s anti-drug policies are based on evidence, and that the evidence shows the death penalty is an effective deterrent.

He said: “Our duty is not to listen to others, but to do right by Singaporeans. Even if it looks like we are out of step with other parts of the world.”

He added: “Good governance means saying no for the good of our people, even if others are giving in to pressure.

Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

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