Health Education Research, Vol. 2, No. 4, 347-352, 1987
© 1987 Oxford University Press
research-article |
Drug prevention and education programmes in Singapore
Department of Social Work, National University of Singapore 10, Kent Ridge Crescent, Singapore 0511
The current drug situation in Singapore is considered to have been contained. In recent years the number of arrested drug offenders has been between 3000 to 4000 annually, out of a population of 2.6 million. This has been achieved through the adoption of a two-pronged strategy of both supply and demand reduction. This paper focuses its discussion on two aspects: (i) preventive measures that have been taken by the Government to curtail drug supplies. They include different treatments for drug pushers and abusers, use of undercover tactics to arrest pushers, immigration checking of ex-drug adicts and pushers returning from abroad, denial of passports to travel abroad for drug supervisees and drug offenders released from prison, and medical doctors' reports to the authorities on their prescriptions of any controlled drugs to patients. (ii) Drug education programmes that have been organized, mainly by voluntary organizations, to heighten the awareness of the public and students of the dangers of drug abuse. These cover campaigns and exhibitions, public talks, anti-drug abuse badge schemes, drug awareness programmes, parent group schemes, and neighbourhood schemes. In addition, the effectiveness of drug prevention programmes is also discussed.