2.24 pm

毕丹星先生（阿裕尼集选区议员）：谢谢议长。我只想问部长几个问题。

首先，根据中央肃毒局（CNB）最新的2023年情况报告，新加坡新吸毒者比2022年增加了18%，我能否向部长询问，内政部，特别是中央肃毒局，正在考虑哪些新举措，以确保这一数字不会进一步增加？具体来说，我了解到同一份报告涵盖了一些有关预防教育和在预防教育方面所做努力的信息。针对越来越多的吸毒者，我们还能期待哪些其他新举措？

与此相关的是，中央禁毒局查获的新精神活性物质数量大幅增加。从报告中分类的其他药物演变到吸食这些新精神活性物质，是否有什么特别的原因？如果部长能告诉我们这是普遍现象，还是有特定的群体在吸食这些新型毒品，那将会很有帮助？

第二个问题涉及部长展示的两年再犯率的幻灯片。部长是否还可以告诉我们，五年累犯率是否普遍遵循同样的百分比--我相信是1993年的73%到2021年的27%？

最后一项澄清涉及最近通过的《死刑案件上诉后申请法案》。我想部长建议我们可以回到国会看看还需要做些什么。部长是否认为这项尚未生效的法案存在一些漏洞，可能需要对现行法案进行修订？

尚穆根先生（内政部长）：议长先生，关于最后一个问题，我并不是说存在漏洞。我的意思是，当我们看到人们如何提交申请时，我们就会学到东西。从方法论来看，例如，如果出现宪法挑战（去年就出现过），我们可能要考虑是否需要修改宪法，以确保今后任何此类性质的宪法挑战都不会得逞。如果我们要这样做，我期待得到毕丹星先生的支持，因为这是一场我们所有人都必须认真对待的斗争。

因此，答案是，我们研究了我们需要做的事情，并通过了该法案。我们看到了申请的演变情况，我已指示我的部门--我并没有说有任何漏洞--研究我们是否需要做更多的事情，特别是考虑到存在宪法挑战。

其次，毕丹星先生问及青少年吸毒增加18%的问题。这是我们采取的方法。我们公开一切，公布数据，保持透明度。有一个问题，中央肃毒局和我的部门都存在这个问题。有什么新举措？我们需要在毒品预防教育方面做得更好。我们还需要关注家长，让他们了解相关信息。至于其他新举措，我在之前的部长声明中已经谈到过。

关于精神活性物质的问题--为什么会出现跃升？议长先生，答案其实很简单。这些物质以前是没有的。现在，你可以很容易地改变化学性质，制造毒品，而且它们变得很容易获得。每当你识别出一种毒品，其他人就可以很快地改变一两种化学性质，得到技术上不同的毒品，但其影响与原始毒品相同。因此，这是一个不断追逐的过程，你必须不断应对。而且，由于现在可以在实验室中生产，因此生产大量毒品也更容易，而且其中一些毒品的特性让我们的一些年轻人觉得很有吸引力。

新精神活性物质是否含有种族成分？我认为没有明显的相关性，但我们看到华族参与程度略高，也就是说，服用这些新精神活性物质的华族数量与服用传统药物的华族数量相比略高，如果我可以这样称呼它们的话。

至于 30 年来五年再犯率是否有所下降的问题，我想请议员提出国会质询，我们将予以处理。

2.24 pm

Mr Pritam Singh (Aljunied): Thank you, Speaker. Just a few questions for the Minister.

First, with regard to the latest CNB Drug Situation Report 2023, which observes an 18% increase from 2022 of new drug abusers in Singapore, can I enquire from the Minister what new initiatives is the Ministry and, more specifically CNB, looking at to ensure that this number does not increase further? Specifically, I understand the same report covered some information on preventive education and efforts taken at preventive education. What other new initiatives can we expect with regard to the increasing number of abusers?

Related to this, there has been a significant jump in new psychoactive substances which have been seized by CNB. Is there a particular reason why there has been an evolution from other drugs, which are classified in the report, to these new psychoactive substances being abused in Singapore? It would be helpful if the Minister could share with us whether this is across the board or are there specific communities that are consuming these new drugs?

The second question refers to the slide that the Minister put up on the two-year recidivism rate. Would the Minister also share if the five-year recidivism rate generally follows those same percentages – 73%, I believe, as recorded in 1993 to 27% in 2021?

The final clarification is with regard to the recently passed Post-Appeal Applications in Capital Cases Bill. I think the Minister suggested that we may come back to the House to see what else needs to be done. Is the Minister suggesting that there are some gaps in the Bill, which has not even come into force yet, which may require an amendment to the Act as it stands?

Mr K Shanmugam: Sir, on the last question, I was not suggesting that there were gaps. What I was suggesting is that as we see how people file their applications, we learn. And looking at the methodology, for example, if there is a constitutional challenge – and there was last year – we may have to consider whether we need to amend the Constitution to make sure that any future constitutional challenges of such a nature will not succeed. And I look forward to support from Mr Singh if we were to come for that, since this is a fight that all of us have to take seriously.

So, the answer is, we looked at what we needed to do and we passed the Bill. We have seen how the applications have evolved and I have directed my Ministry – I have not said there are any gaps – to look to see whether we need to do anything more, given in particular that there was a constitutional challenge.

Second, Mr Singh has asked about the 18% increase in youth drug abuse. This is the approach we take. We disclose everything, we put the data out there and be transparent. There is a problem, and CNB and my Ministry said that there is this problem. What new initiatives? We need to do even better at preventive drug education. We need to focus on the parents as well to understand the messages. And the other new initiatives, I have spoken about them in my Ministerial Statement earlier. 

The question on psychoactive substances – why is there a jump? Sir, the answer is actually quite simple. These were not available previously. Now, you can alter chemical properties and create drugs fairly easily and they become easily available. Every time you identify a compound, someone else can very quickly alter one or two chemical properties and come out with a technically different compound but with the same impact as the original compound. So, it is a continuous chase and you have to continuously deal with it. And because now it can be produced in a lab, as it were, it is also much easier to produce larger quantities and some of it have properties that some of our young find attractive.

Are there ethnic components to new psychoactive substances? I do not think there is a clear correlation, but we have seen a slightly higher level of Chinese participation, as it were, the number of Chinese who take these new psychoactive substances compared with the traditional drugs, if I can so refer to them.

As to whether the five-year recidivism rate has come down over the 30-year period, I would ask the Member to file a Parliamentary Question and we will deal with it.