Singapore Sees Rise in Young Drug Abusers, Ministry Says

Drug abuser arrests in Singapore rose in 2024, with young drug abusers causing concern. Over half of the new drug abusers were aged less than 30 years old, and the number of offenders who were aged less than 20 years old grew by nearly a third from the previous year.

The Ministry of Home Affairs warned that Singapore is not immune to the rising drug issues at both the global and regional fronts, with illicit drug markets growing. Drug dealers are marketing illegal drug markets through social media and encrypted messaging apps to mislead people about the perceived benefits of drugs. To address this challenge, the ministry stated that there was a necessity for stringent laws, enforcement, education, and grassroots work to deter people from drugs.