Jail for former NUS assistant professor who smoked cannabis, had drug utensils

SINGAPORE: A former assistant professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS) was jailed for a year on Wednesday (Dec 11) for smoking cannabis.

Jevdic Dorde, a 40-year-old Serbian, also admitted to having drug utensils that he used to smoke Ice, or crystal methamphetamine.

He pleaded guilty to two charges under the Misuse of Drugs Act, with a third similar charge considered for sentencing.

On Aug 4, 2023, officers from the Central Narcotics Bureau raided Dorde's apartment after midnight, arrested him and searched his home.

During the raid, they seized straws, a rubber tube and a glass utensil that Dorde admitted he used to smoke Ice with others about once a month.

Dorde also tested positive for chemicals from cannabis. He admitted to smoking a cannabis joint about 10 days before his arrest, and that he had smoked two or three joints that day.

The court heard that Dorde started consuming cannabis in Singapore in early 2020 and would smoke two or three joints a day whenever he had the drug. He rolled his own joints with cannabis and tobacco.

He told investigators that he started taking cannabis because he had an opportunity to try it, and was given a contact from whom to buy it.

He also said that he took cannabis as he was addicted to the drug and felt more relaxed after smoking it.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Cheah Wenjie asked for the mandatory minimum of one year's imprisonment for drug consumption.

Defence lawyer Gino Hardial Singh of Abbots Chambers said Dorde, who was from NUS' Department of Computer Science, was also Serbia's scientific ambassador in Singapore.

He referred to a report from a consultant psychiatrist stating that Dorde suffered from major depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at the time of the offences, and was on medication.

Jevdic smoked cannabis to cope with the adverse side effects of his ADHD medication, which included insomnia, loss of appetite and increased irritability, said the lawyer.

This meant he was "not an addict in the clinical sense", but was using cannabis to self-medicate, said Mr Singh.

He added that Dorde's rehabilitative prospects were high, and the psychiatrist's view was that a long jail term could affect his rehabilitation negatively.

In response to queries, NUS said that it has terminated Dorde's employment.

"All NUS staff are expected to hold themselves up to high standards of professional and personal conduct, including abiding by the laws and regulations of Singapore," a spokesperson said.

The punishment for consuming a specified drug is between one and 10 years' imprisonment and a fine of up to S$20,000.

Offenders who have utensils intended for the consumption of a controlled drug can be jailed for up to three years, fined S$10,000 or both.