We all know Singapore’s drug laws have worked very well in the past, considering our ruthless enforcement managed to stamp out the once-burgeoning local drug trade. But when times change, so should the attitudes.
Recently, this Straits Times forum letter by Shirley Woon caused a stir in attitudes towards the war on drugs, suggesting that instead of greater empathy towards drug abusers, society should further ostracize them by “taking it a notch higher”.
In response to Woon’s letter, 18-year-old junior college student Maxwell Lee-Moeung Shan submitted a heartfelt letter on why Shirley’s suggestions were rather archaic — not to mention a reminder of strongman policies that have had a negative impact on societies around the world today.
He countered Woon’s views about fear-mongering by calling her suggestions “myopic”, highlighting the rift between millennials and baby boomers in terms of thinking. He also argued that showing school children the harshness of prison life — though effective in intimidating — would likely render them risk-averse due to fear of punishment, and that would be counter-intuitive towards the development of other desirable traits like critical thinking and entrepreneurship.
Here are Shirley’s views in a nutshell:
- Campaigns and school talks no longer capture the attention of young people today
- Having worked with drug abusers in the past (note this), she said some were unaware of the consequences of drug use
- Peer pressure is a common reason why people start to take drugs
- Not wanting to return to the drug rehabilitation centre (DRC) is the unanimous deterrent among former drug abusers
- Stop mollycoddling our youth and show them what prison life is like first-hand
Maxwell’s rebuttal:
- Singapore already suffers from excess deference to authority
- Punitive measures are hardly effective against drug offences, and harm reduction is more effective and humane
- Educate the public on the effects of drug use so that they understand the dangers instead of relying on external coercion
- Fear-mongering only serves to alienate drug abusers when they should be receiving more emotional support to stay off drugs
- Efforts should be focused on providing proper medical treatment, educating the public on the effects of drugs, and removing the stigma associated with drug users
- This will foster a more gracious and inclusive society
Here’s why Maxwell has a point. In the Netherlands, the Dutch prioritize providing medical aid to drug abusers in need as opposed to punishing them. While consumption of cannabis is a rather grey area, the readily available drug is considered a soft drug (in the same category as tobacco) — it has not turned the nation into mindless stoners, and has arguably given the people legal leeway and the ability to decide for themselves. Even countries with a harder stance towards drugs like England and France have not had the same success as the Netherlands in curbing drug use (42 deaths annually, which is mild in comparison to other EU countries).
Young people are unlikely to heed warnings from their parents either — they’re likely to be naturally curious about experimenting with drugs, so a distinction between hard drugs, like cocaine and heroin, and soft drugs is clearly defined, encouraging them to stay away from harder drugs. In fact, cannabis use in the Netherlands is only at 5.4%, well below the average of 6.8% in other parts of Europe.
Drug use in the Netherlands pales in comparison to Indonesia, which has one of the strictest drug policies in the world. Indonesia has spent IDR 1.3 trillion on its war against drugs, yet it has not effectively curbed drug use, and has reinforced the stigma and discrimination against drug users, creating a negative impact on society by excluding drug users and further ostracizing them instead of providing medical help.
So, Maxwell, looks like you have proven to us that the future is bright.
