Two teens died of overdoses in January 2025: Shanmugam
Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam giving a speech at the second Drug Victims Remembrance Day observance ceremony on May 16. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
SINGAPORE - 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.
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 City Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Mr Shanmugam added: 'We are finding that we are arresting younger and younger abusers. Last year, 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 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 the abusers' income and income growth even after they quit the habit.
An abuser can stand to lose close to $620,000 through spending on drugs and potential lost income.
The Drug Victims Remembrance Day campaign is an initiative by the Inter-Ministry Committee on Drug Prevention for Youths to highlight the impact of drugs on abusers and their loved ones. This year's campaign is at the Suntec City Level 1 Atrium until May 18.
It features an interactive Museum of Us exhibition, inspired by the personal stories of real-life drug victims, who are the families and friends of abusers.
Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam at the 'Museum of Us' exhibition during the second Drug Victims Remembrance Day observance ceremony on May 16.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
The campaign also features five short films titled Remember Us, seen from the perspectives of the loved ones of a fictional drug abuser, John.
While the characters in the films are played by actors, the experiences portrayed are based on research and interviews with Singaporeans affected by drug abuse, said Ms Tan Hui Er, the films' director.
Ms Tan, 29, said: 'The very important thing for me was making sure that the pain and the love that they (characters in the short films) feel and their experiences, are felt and seen.'
The pain of drug abuse on families is something that former abuser Shaun Yeo, who has three children, knows too well.
Mr Yeo, 41, a delivery driver, said he cannot forget the 'countless times' his seven-year-old daughter saw him dragged away to the police station while he was high on drugs.
Said Mr Yeo, who was first arrested for drug abuse at age 15: 'I couldn't fulfil my responsibility as a father because I was constantly broke. Even when I had money, the first thing I thought of was drugs....not my family.'
Mr Yeo, who has been drug-free since 2020, is trying to rebuild his relationship with his children, now aged 12 to 18 . He had spent a total of four years in prison for drug crimes over a 20-year period.
Former drug abuser and gang leader Kim Whye Kee, 49, is grateful for his mother, who never gave up on him during his 10-year sentence for drug abuse and extortion.
Said Mr Kim, who was released from prison in 2008: 'Her love is unconditional, something that I realised during my years of drug addiction... She always stood by me even when I relapsed or got arrested.'
Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam (right) with (from left) DrugFreeSG Advocate Gopal Mahey, Mr Kim Whye Kee and Mr Shaun Yeo on May 16.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Mr Kim, who began learning pottery in his final months in prison, held his first solo exhibition in 2019. He is scheduled for another exhibition in Suzhou, China in a few weeks.
He said he could not imagine what he had put his mother through, especially during occasions like Chinese New Year (CNY), when relatives would discuss what their children were doing. A lot of that time, he was in prison.
Added Mr Kim: 'It was a bit strange when I saw my mother tearing (at my solo exhibition)... she was not sad but very happy when Mr Shanmugam came and visitors asked if I was her son. For me (seeing that) was enough.'
Showing support and caring for drug abusers is vital to their reintegration into society said Ms Amy Ronshausen, executive director of Drug Free America Foundation, Inc. and Save Our Society From Drugs.
Events such as the Drug Victims Remembrance Day brings families together in support of recovering drug abusers.
Mr Ronshausen, 51, who was at the ceremony, told The Straits Times: 'It reminds them why recovery is important and why they need to stay (clear of drugs) and have their families around them. It's not an individual thing but a community thing.'
Zaihan Mohamed Yusof is senior crime correspondent at The Straits Times.
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