Tag Archives: explainers

Are you on drugs or something?

Drugs aren’t just something we can die from, it’s something that most — if not all — of us can’t live without. Why do we take drugs? What determines if a drug is legal or illegal? Why are some kinds of drug use so normalised, while others are intensely stigmatised? Is using drugs, or evenContinue reading “Are you on drugs or something?”

End the Death Penalty for Cannabis

So far in 2023, two men have already been unjustly executed in Singapore for cannabis. They are Tangaraju Suppiah (executed on 26 April 2023) and Faizal bin Shariff (executed on 17 May 2023). Last year, Fazali bin Mohamed was also executed for a cannabis conviction. And in 2016, Nigerian Chijioke Stephen Obioha was executed forContinue reading “End the Death Penalty for Cannabis”

Amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act

Singapore’s Parliament has passed amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act and the Constitution to allow for enhanced penalties against certain drug offences, as well as to grant the Central Narcotics Bureau the power to send users of psychoactive substances to state-run Drug Rehabilitation Centres. TJC highlights the problems with Singapore’s ongoing ‘War on Drugs’ approach.

Harm reduction is about saving lives, not enabling drug use

When we talk about moving away from punitive approaches in drug policy, one common response is that harm reduction and support for people who use drugs is enabling harmful behaviour. Misconceptions? Many people think about harm reduction in the context of drugs, and it’s also been portrayed as enabling drug use. But in reality, harmContinue reading “Harm reduction is about saving lives, not enabling drug use”

Prison & Punishment in Singapore

The dominant narrative about incarceration is that everyone in prison is a criminal who doesn’t deserve our concern or sympathy; anything and everything that they experience within prison is what they deserve for breaking the law. But what do we actually want for society in the first place, and does incarceration help us achieve that?

Incarceration in Singapore

Prisoners describe conditions as “psychological torture” Many ex-prisoners describe their experience in prison as “dehumanising”. Cell conditions are cramped, and prisoners usually spend 23 hours a day locked up with almost nothing to do. They’re locked down for 48 hours over the weekends. Prisoners sleep on the hard floor and have no privacy, even whenContinue reading “Incarceration in Singapore”