SINGAPORE - She took cannabis when she was 12 years old, attended drug parties for three years and got hooked on heroin after her boyfriend introduced it to her.
When she was 15, her aunt found heroin in her bag and called the police, saving her from a life of drugs.
Ms Carol Wee, now 42, knows how easy it can be for the young to get ensnared by drugs because three decades on, the drug situation in Singapore, while much improved, has not gone away.
The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) has always been worried about young people and drugs.
A first-ever survey on drug prevalence conducted by the Institute of Mental Health found that the mean age of the onset of drug consumption among Singaporeans and permanent residents was 15.9 years.
Ms Wee spoke to The Straits Times on Wednesday at the CNB workplan seminar where the survey results were released.
Aimed at examining the prevalence of illicit drug consumption, the survey involved 6,509 Singaporeans and permanent residents between 15 and 65 years old.
It was carried out between April 2021 and July 2022 and was representative of Singapore’s resident population by age, race and gender.
Recalling how she took drugs as a child, Ms Wee said: “I lost my parents at a young age and mixed with the wrong group of friends in school. It started with playing truant, then glue-sniffing.
“Later came the drug parties, where we would take cannabis. My boyfriend at the time also encouraged me to try heroin, and I did.”
When she was 15, her aunt looked through her bag and found heroin.
“She called the cops on me and I felt so angry and betrayed. It was only years later that I realised she did it for my sake, to save me,” said Ms Wee.
She now volunteers at The Turning Point, a non-profit organisation that helps women overcome drug addiction.
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiZGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnN0cmFpdHN0aW1lcy5jb20vc2luZ2Fwb3JlL2hvb2tlZC1vbi1oZXJvaW4tYXQtMTItd29ycnlpbmctdHJlbmQtb2YteW91bmdlci1kcnVnLWFidXNlcnPSAQA?oc=5
2023-05-03 08:39:17Z
2004858022
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar