CNB objects to cannabis promotion website; MDA orders its removal by Wednesday

The owners of a website with information on what they claim to be "productive uses of cannabis in Singaporean society" have been told to remove the contents entirely after an assessment by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB).

In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, CNB confirmed that it had reviewed the Singapore Cannabis Awareness website and found it to be objectionable.

The Media Development Authority has ordered the owners to remove the website by Wednesday as it "contains material that promotes or tends to promote the use of a prohibited substance".

By Tuesday afternoon, the website appeared offline, but the Singapore Cannabis Awareness Facebook page was still live.

CNB said in its statement that the website "undermines Singapore's efforts in drug preventive education and erodes our society's resilience against drug abuse".

"Singaporeans enjoy a safe and secure environment because of our firm stance against drugs and crime, and central to this is our 'zero-tolerance' approach against the drug menace," it added.

The website also makes claims about the purported benefits of "medical cannabis", said CNB, despite a lack of "properly conducted and validated clinical trials to show that the purported benefits of this drug outweigh its risks".

CNB advised those who claim to have evidence of its medical properties to submit such evidence to the health authorities, rather than promoting the use of a prohibited substance to the public.

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.