We refer to the letter by Mr Winston Chew Choon Teck, “Why choose drug abusers for a remembrance day?” (March 4).
We thank Mr Chew for his strong support for a drug-free Singapore.
The Drug Victims Remembrance Day announced by Minister K. Shanmugam at the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Committee of Supply debate is to remind ourselves of the harm, hurt and trauma which the families and loved ones of drug abusers suffer, in particular the children, and not just the abusers.
The remembrance day is an initiative under the Inter-Ministry Committee on Drug Prevention for Youths, to drive across a strong message that the harms of drugs are far-reaching, and therefore require a strong and robust response from society.
As Mr Chew rightly pointed out, the families and loved ones suffer, often silently and invisibly, and bear the burden of caring for the abuser and, in some instances, caring for the young children and dependants neglected by the abuser. They shoulder the emotional, financial and sometimes even physical fallout of their loved one’s drug addiction. It often results in broken and damaged families.
The community at large are also victims, if they unfortunately become the target of crimes drug abusers commit to feed their addiction, or the violence they sometimes exhibit when under the influence of drugs. We have seen many such cases here in Singapore.
The serious harms which drug traffickers inflict on society extend also to the people to whom they peddle the drugs. The abusers suffer serious physical and mental health problems from their addiction, which drug traffickers callously feed for financial gain. In this regard, abusers are also victims of drug trafficking.
Hence, our stance is that abusers who do not commit other crimes will be sent for extensive, compulsory rehabilitation, but will not be given a criminal record, to give them the best opportunity possible to restart their lives.
The proposed remembrance day aims to bring across these realities faced by individuals and families who have suffered from drug abuse.
In the period around the remembrance day in May, we will be sharing real-life stories from the families and loved ones of ex-abusers.
We hope for Mr Chew’s and the community’s support.
Sam Tee
Director
Central Narcotics Bureau
