Shanmugam: Two teen deaths from suspected drug overdoses in Jan

Two teenagers aged 16 and 18 died of suspected drug overdoses in January, as Singapore continues its battle against drug abuse, a growing problem among young people.

- Zaihan Mohamed Yusof

Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam told the audience at the second Drug Victims Remembrance Day observance ceremony on May 16 that methamphetamine, also known as Ice, was likely to have been involved.

"There are many other tragic cases, but thankfully they remain small in number," he said at the event at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Mr Shanmugam added: "We are finding that we are arresting younger and younger abusers. (In 2024), the youngest was 13 years old. Over the last two years, more than half of new abusers arrested were below 30 years old."

A 2016 study by the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) found that the cost to Singapore society of dealing with drug crimes was more than $1.2 billion in 2015, said Mr Shanmugam.

The financial impact of drug abuse on individuals is equally staggering. A 2020 NTU study found drug consumption significantly impacts abusers' income and income growth even after they quit the habit.