Synthetic drug abusers will be sent for rehabilitation, instead of prison, from December this year - a shift in the law that has been hailed by halfway houses.

They say the new approach finally corrects an anomaly in Singapore's anti-narcotics programme, by treating addicts of synthetic drugs as people with illnesses and not as criminals.

The director of The Turning Point, a 14-year-old centre that helps addicts to give up such synthetic drugs as Ice, Ecstasy and Yaba, believes a drug rehabilitation centre (DRC) can bring better results.

Said Miss Florence Ng: 'Drug addiction is a disease and a DRC is more apt as it has counselling and programmes tailored to tackle the addict's problem.'

She and two other halfway houses praised the change announced on Sunday by Senior Minister of State for Law Ho Peng Kee during a charity run organised by the National Council Against Drug Abuse.

The Singapore Prison Service is also convinced the DRC regime will help lower the likelihood of a relapse, as the DRC has more programmes for rehabilitation.

A Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) spokesman said the new programme is for first- and second-time offenders as those caught the third time are jailed, for up to 10 years.

The programme will be similar to that for people addicted to plant-based narcotics such as heroin, opium and morphine.

Synthetic drugs are becoming more widespread. CNB figures show they were taken by 54 per cent of the 1,809 drug abusers arrested last year. And worse, 72 per cent of the first-timers caught last year consumed them.

Under the current system, the punishment for possession or consumption of Ecstasy, Ice or ketamine is a fine of up to $20,000 or 10 years' jail or both.

The stigma of a criminal conviction can be an obstacle to recovery, said Miss Ng. And removing it improves the chances of rehabilitating the drug abusers, especially the first-timers, she added.

'Being charged in court, jailed and having a conviction can be very traumatic. There's a big psychological impact on their rehabilitation because many of them feel inferior.

'That can be a factor in relapsing. In a DRC, the shame factor is reduced.'

Agreeing, the executive director of The Helping Hand, Mr Paul Cheng, said: 'Many of the synthetic drug abusers are young, educated professionals. They take Ice, Ecstasy or ketamine usually out of curiosity or peer pressure.

'When they are jailed, it's very drastic. The worst thing is that the fear of going back is the deterrent but their inferior feeling from being jailed makes them vulnerable and susceptible to drugs again.

'But in a DRC, they are specifically educated about how the drugs hurt them. This is a more powerful deterrent.'

Interviews with five synthetic drug abusers, three of whom had been in jail, found that only one does not think DRC is the way. Said an ex-ketamine addict, a 29-year-old who wanted to be known only as John: 'What if synthetic drug abusers take drug consumption lightly, knowing that they will not be convicted?'

But Miss Ng believes the initiative is a 'message of compassion' and gives drug abusers a chance to correct their mistake.

'Also, parents and friends are more likely to report an addict knowing they won't be ruining their lives by sending them to jail. It'd be sending them to get help.' The other formers addicts interviewed agreed with Miss Ng.

A 20-year-old ex-ketamine addict, who was released from prison last August after eight months, said: 'In jail, they don't have a detoxification programme. Also, I didn't get a chance to go to a halfway house before I got out of prison. I think that would have made it easier for me when I was released.'

By TANYA FONG

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