Death penalty 'part of bigger anti-drug framework that works'

Its use complements efforts to reduce drug supply and rehabilitate offenders, says Shanmugam

Mr Jon Sigfusson (above), director of the Icelandic Centre of Social Research and Analysis, said Iceland has seen some success in reducing drug use among its young people by strengthening preventive factors such as increasing the time teens spend wit
Colorado, which legalised recreational marijuana use in 2014, has also become the No. 1 state for youth cannabis use, said Dr Kevin Sabet (above), director of Florida's drug policy institute in the US. PHOTOS: CENTRAL NARCOTICS BUREAU
Mr Jon Sigfusson (above), director of the Icelandic Centre of Social Research and Analysis, said Iceland has seen some success in reducing drug use among its young people by strengthening preventive factors such as increasing the time teens spend wit
Mr Jon Sigfusson (above), director of the Icelandic Centre of Social Research and Analysis, said Iceland has seen some success in reducing drug use among its young people by strengthening preventive factors such as increasing the time teens spend with their parents and reducing risk factors that lead youth to drug use. PHOTOS: CENTRAL NARCOTICS BUREAU
Mr Jon Sigfusson (above), director of the Icelandic Centre of Social Research and Analysis, said Iceland has seen some success in reducing drug use among its young people by strengthening preventive factors such as increasing the time teens spend wit
There is an "undoubted number of deaths that will occur if you take a more liberal approach towards drugs", with a rise in homicides and other crimes leading to death not being theoretical arguments, said Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam (above). PHOTOS: CENTRAL NARCOTICS BUREAU

The death penalty is not the solution that solves all problems, but part of a larger framework that includes reducing the drug supply and rehabilitating offenders, said Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam yesterday.

"The stakes are made very clear upfront and that, I think, has a very powerful influence on those who seek to traffic drugs into Singapore," said Mr Shanmugam at the opening of the second Asia-Pacific Forum Against Drugs at the ParkRoyal hotel in Beach Road.

Singapore does not take any joy and comfort in having the death penalty, he said, adding that it "saves more lives", including those of families ruined by drug addiction.

He also said there is an "undoubted number of deaths that will occur if you take a more liberal approach towards drugs", with a rise in homicides and other crimes leading to death not being theoretical arguments.

Mr Shanmugam also urged local and foreign stakeholders to have an open mind, be it towards the death penalty, laws, or the use of drugs as medicine, and "not to be ideological about it".

He warned that advocates of decriminalisation use arguments that are not substantiated by medical research or evidence.

The one-day forum, organised by the National Council Against Drug Abuse, gathered local and foreign delegates from government and non-government organisations, as well as civil society groups, to discuss how to counter calls globally for drug liberalisation.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the event, Dr Kevin Sabet, director of Florida's Drug Policy Institute in the United States, called the growing use of cannabis a "slow-motion disaster".

Besides seeing products containing stronger amounts of THC - the primary active ingredient in cannabis - on the market in the form of cookies and candies that are attractive to children, he added that in Colorado, more young people are being taken to hospital for THC poisoning.

Among those who are vulnerable, Dr Sabet added, are children aged five and below. Colorado, which legalised recreational marijuana use in 2014, has also become the No. 1 state for youth cannabis use, he added.

The positivity rate for workplace marijuana tests also tripled since the year Colorado legalised recreational cannabis. In 2011, this was 2.7 per cent, while last year, it was 8.9 per cent, Dr Sabet said, citing clinical laboratory services firm Quest Diagnostics.

Ms Linda Nilsson, secretary-general of the World Federation Against Drugs, highlighted the lack of local implementation of international agreements as a challenge in drug prevention, which "should always be the core of drug policy".

Iceland has seen some success in prevention, with cannabis use among teens aged 15 to 16 dropping from 17 per cent to 7 per cent between 1998 and last year.

Mr Jon Sigfusson, director of the Icelandic Centre of Social Research and Analysis, said this was achieved by strengthening preventive factors such as increasing the time teens spend with their parents, and reducing risk factors that lead youth to drug use.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 27, 2017, with the headline Death penalty 'part of bigger anti-drug framework that works'. Subscribe