They are young, well-educated, come from middle-to-high income backgrounds, and cut across all ethnic communities. They are a new profile of young drug abusers that is causing concern among authorities tackling the problem.
This group is the target of strategies to be released on Friday (Jun 26), by the Taskforce on Youth and Drugs.
FROM COUGH MIXTURE TO ‘ICE’, HEROIN
“Jonathan” (not his real name) started with cough mixture when he was just 17. A decade on he said it was a means of escape from his gambling addiction. He did not expect to be hooked.
“At first, I thought cough mixture would be nothing. I’d just drink it. It’s normal. One can get cough mixture from every clinic,” he said. But he did get addicted, so much so that he went on to experiment with ‘Ice’, and then heroin.
The number of young drug abusers like “Jonathan” is increasing. Of the new abusers caught in 2014, two-thirds were below the age of 30.
The co-chair of the Taskforce on Youth and Drugs said a lot has to do with a shift in their view towards drugs. Mr Masagos Zukifli, who is also the Second Minister for Home Affairs, said: “It is affecting not just youths who come from the typical dysfunctional families or youths at risk, but youths at large. We are worried because it is not so easy to target which youths we should really address.”
CANNABIS GROWING IN POPULARITY
Instead of the usual mind-altering drugs, cannabis now seems to be the drug of choice.
Mr Masagos said the view is that the drug is not addictive, not harmful and alright for recreational purposes. He said a lot of this misconception comes from developments overseas, especially the US, where half of the states have either decriminalised or legalised cannabis.
“In America there’s a phenomena, what we call decriminalisation of cannabis, and that started because they were trying to address the overcrowding issue in their prisons and when you decriminalise an offence, it means that you don’t go to prison when you get caught for it,” said Mr Masagos.
“Most get a fine for possessing a certain amount of drugs. What has also evolved, in some states they have also begun to legalise drugs. They allow possession and consumption of particularly cannabis, up to a certain amount and it is proliferating. In fact, half the states in the US have either decriminalised or legalised these drugs. Therefore the commercial entities are also taking advantage of this, to find ways they can leverage this new phenomena.”
Mr Masagos added that one can find cannabis-laced cookies and candy in the United States, where one can simply visit the doctor and ask for a prescription of cannabis as well. “Because it is happening in the US, inevitably the porousness of the internet allows our youths to also access the same information and the kind of attitudinal change that is shaping the youths in the US will inevitably come to our shores too,” he added.
“The information that is presented on the internet is really compelling. You add Hollywood, you add all sorts of clever marketing, clever information dressing, it makes the even wrong information look right, and therefore we have to take this head on,” Mr Masagos said.
“We have to make sure what our students read on the internet is both trash and treasure. It’s not all good on the internet and therefore the cyber-awareness is part of the skills they should know and be discerning on what they read.”
The upcoming Taskforce on Youth and Drugs report will give a review of the drug situation in Singapore and propose strategies to strengthen the approach towards tackling drug abuse among youths.
Measures will include enhancements to drug preventive education across the entire spectrum, from secondary schools, up to polytechnic and university, correcting misperceptions and enlisting the help of parents, as well as the wider community, including National Service touchpoints for boys such as the Ministry of Defence, Singapore Police Force and the Singapore Civil Defence Force.
YOU WILL STRUGGLE EVERY DAY: WORDS OF ADVICE FROM EX-OFFENDER
As for “Jonathan”, he wants to turn his life around. “Now, I can tell young people: It is not easy to quit drugs, because you will struggle every day. When you need money (to feed your addiction), you will steal, or you will ask your mum; your family, or rob,” he shared. “Then you go to prison, and that’s not easy too. Now, my family is scared of me because after you take drugs, you can lie about everything.”
“Jonathan” has been clean for a year, but admits he is still struggling.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com
