More than two-thirds of new drug abusers arrested in Singapore below 30 years old

More than two-thirds of new drug abusers arrested in the first half of 2015 were below 30 years old, said Singapore's Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) in its mid-yearly statistics report on Friday.

CNB said that 1,684 drug abusers were arrested in the first half of 2015, an increase of 8 percent from the 1,560 drug abusers arrested during the same period in 2014.

CNB revealed that 619 drug abusers, or about 37 percent of all the arrested, were new abusers. Among the new abusers, 71 percent of them (438) were below 30 years old, which is a slight increase from 69 percent in the corresponding period a year ago.

Methamphetamine and heroin continued to be the two most commonly abused drugs, with such abusers making up over 90 percent of all drug abusers arrested, said CNB in the report. Methamphetamine abusers made up 53 percent of all abusers arrested, followed by heroin abusers, which accounts for 40 percent.

CNB also noted that the number of cannabis abusers grew by 18 percent from the first half of 2014. Among the new abusers, methamphetamine abusers made up the largest group at 75 percent, followed by cannabis and heroin abusers, which made up 13 percent and 9 percent respectively.

Compared to the same period last year, seizures of cannabis, ecstasy, ketamine and nimetazepam increased, while seizures of heroin and ice (crystalline methamphetamine) decreased in the first half of 2015. Notably, seizures of cannabis rose by 140 percent from 8.81 kilogram to 21.18 kilogram, CNB said. Endi