SINGAPOREANS SUPPORT DRUG LAWS, BUT ONLY HALF THE COUNTRY’S YOUNG SAY DEATH PENALTY IS APPROPRIATE

May 20, 2019:

Singapore’s tough anti-drug laws command overwhelming support across the population, but only about half of younger people feel the death penalty is an appropriate punishment for severe drug offences, a government survey has found.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) took the pulse of 2,000 Singaporeans and permanent residents on how they see the state’s anti-drug policies.
The study was the first of its kind conducted by the ministry, and included 902 young people aged 13 to 30.
Nearly all the respondents (97.8 per cent) agreed that Singapore should continue to maintain tough anti-drug laws and that drug consumption should remain illegal (97.5 per cent).
Almost all respondents also felt that drugs affect families (98.2 per cent) and would harm a person’s health (97.8 per cent).
Younger respondents, however, generally expressed more liberal attitudes towards drugs and penalties for drug offences.
For instance, only about one in two respondents aged 13 to 30 (52.7 per cent) felt that the death penalty was an appropriate punishment for those caught trafficking in large amounts of drugs.
By contrast, 74.6 per cent of respondents aged above 30 felt the death penalty was appropriate for such offences.