Ice: Exceed 250g and its death

IT WILL be death for those who are caught with more than 250 g of of the increasingly popular drug "Ice" if a new Bill introduced in Parliament yesterday is passed.

The Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill, which Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng introduced, is likely to be debated when Parliament next sits.

If the Bill is passed, Ice will be the fourth drug to carry the death penalty, which is at present mandatory for a trafficker caught with over 15 g of heroin, 500 g of cannabis or 30 g of morphine.

Under the Bill, those caught with between 167 g and 250 g of Ice would face at least 20 years in jail and 15 strokes of the cane.

The drug, whose scientific name is methamphetamine, has become a major concern in the past year.

Eighty-two Ice addicts were nabbed in Singapore in 1997 compared with just five the year before.

Last week, the Central Narcotics Bureau arrested 51 people and seized 480 g of the drug in the largest ever break-up of an ice-trafficking ring.

In its raw form, Ice looks like clear chunky crystals. It is broken down into powder to be snorted, smoked or injected.

Under the Bill, those caught with more than 25 g of Ice will also be presumed to be trafficking in the drug.

This carries a minimum of five years' jail and five strokes of the cane.

The presumption clause will also be extended to cover the drug Ecstasy. Possess just 10 g of it, and you will be assumed to be trafficking it.

Last year, 200 people were arrested for Ecstasy abuse.

Two night-spots had their operating hours curtailed for having Ecstasy found on their premises.

The amendment Bill also makes it harder for drug abusers to avoid being penalised by claiming that it happened outside Singapore.

If urine tests show traces of controlled drugs in their blood, they will be treated as if the offence was committed in Singapore.

The penalty for refusing to undergo urine tests will also be raised to 10 years' jail, or a fine of $20,000, or both.

Published in the Straits Times. April 21, 1998