Youth drug abuse rose in 2024; 52% newly arrested under 30 years old: CNB

SINGAPORE: While Singapore's drug situation remained under control in 2024, youth drug abuse continued to increase, according to statistics by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) on Wednesday (Feb 12).

In its annual statistics report, CNB acting director Leon Chan said the trends in youth drug abuse are "worrying", particularly the "early onset of drug abuse".

There was a 1 per cent increase in new drug abusers arrested, up from 952 in 2023 to 966 in 2024.

Of those newly arrested last year, about 52 per cent were below 30 years old, compared to 51 per cent in 2023. The number of new drug abusers arrested under the age of 20 increased by 30 per cent.

Sixty-one per cent of those arrested for cannabis were new abusers, with 57 per cent of them below the age of 30.

Out of the 720 new methamphetamine abusers arrested, 53 per cent were below 30 years old. The number of newly arrested abusers of this drug also increased from 63 per cent in 2023 to 75 per cent in 2024.

Mr Chan gave the example of a 13-year-old who was the youngest arrested for drug abuse in 2024, "far younger than the average onset age of drug abuse of 16 years old", indicated in a 2022 survey conducted by the Institute of Mental Health.

With an increasing number of new abusers arrested for cannabis below 30 years old, Mr Chan noted that it suggests a "growing trend of permissiveness towards cannabis among our youths".

Methamphetamine, cannabis and ecstasy were the three most commonly abused drugs by new abusers arrested in 2024, said CNB, with 92 per cent of them abusing at least one.

CNB noted that the number of cannabis abusers arrested in 2024 remained higher than the annual average recorded over the past 10 years.

Meanwhile, the total number of drug abusers arrested fell by 1 per cent, from 3,122 in 2023 to 3,119 in 2024.

CNB also dismantled 25 drug syndicates in 2024, including those that used Telegram.

An estimated market value of about S$13.5 million (US$10 million) in drug seizures were made, said CNB.

"The harms of drugs are far-reaching," said Mr Chan. "Beyond the damage done to a drug abuser’s health and well-being, the families and loved ones of drug abusers are often the ones suffering silently and invisibly as they shoulder the emotional, financial and sometimes even physical fallout of their loved one’s drug addiction."

He added that the community also "bears the consequences of the fallout", where innocent members of the community "become victims of drug-related crimes committed by abusers under the influence of drugs".

"We cannot, and must not, allow the drug problem to take root and fester," said Mr Chan.

"Parents especially, have a crucial role to play - by actively engaging their children in conversations about the harms of drugs, we can better safeguard them from misinformation and misleading ideas that normalise drug-taking behaviours."