Singapore

Data from Singapore highlight the rapid shifts in drug use patterns. In 2008, heroin emerged as the leading drug of use for the first time since 2003, after being ranked behind nimetazepam and buprenorphine between 2000 and 2007. Use of heroin was reported to be on the increase in 2008, while both buprenorphine and nimetazepam use showed decreasing trends.

In 2008, the use of crystalline methamphetamine increased for the second successive year while the use of ketamine decreased for a fifth consecutive year. Inhalant use was ranked second in 2008, although the trend is reported as decreasing. Preliminary data for the first half of 2009 suggest that the inhalant use situation has stabilized and is no longer declining (CNB, 2009).

Arrest, seizure and price data

Drug-related arrests and seizures reported by Singapore to DAINAP refer only to cross-border trafficking cases. The total drug related arrests increased sharply between 2005 and 2007, driven by more than a ten-fold increase in number of the heroin related arrests from 98 in 2005 to 1,050 in 2008. In addition, the classification of buprenorphine as a Class A drug in 2006 also contributed to the increase, resulting in 478 arrest in 2006 and 886 in 2007. Overall, the number of arrests declined by 10% in 2008, due primarily to a drop in buprenorphine arrests by more than half from 840 to 404 in the previous year.

Preliminary data for the first half of 2009 projects a sharp decline in the number of drug users arrested for buprenorphine violations while heroin related arrests are expected to increase by as much as 20% (CNB, 2009). Of the buprenorphine users arrested in the first half of 2009, 80% had a history of heroin use according to law enforcement officials.

Between 2004 and 2008 crystalline methamphetamine related arrests more than doubled, while arrests for ketamine declined by a little over a third. Numerically, the trend lines for the two drugs almost mirror each other in opposite directions.

In 2008, 87% of drug related offenders were male, approximately the same number as preceding years. However, crystalline methamphetamine, ecstasy and nimetazepam stand out as 20% of the offenders were female compared to 10%-15% for most other major drugs of use.