Mr Shanmugam said that the committee aims to “drive (the message) home further” with young people that drugs are a serious problem.
“That is why we need to work with the parents, with the community, with the schools, National Service – in a variety of different ways. And send the message, give them alternatives, give them opportunities to think about it, think carefully, and try to keep them out of trouble,” he said.
The committee, to be chaired by Mr Shanmugam, will comprise representatives from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social and Family Development, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, People’s Association, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Communications and Information, as well as the Ministry of Health.
There will be a total of seven Senior Ministers of State, Ministers of State and Senior Parliamentary Secretaries from the various ministries.
The committee will start its work in the third quarter of this year.
WHAT PARENTS SAY
Ms Jackie Yu, a 50-year-old communication specialist, also called the findings of the IMH survey worrying.
Ms Yu, whose son is 16 years old, said that the important question for parents is how children get exposed to drugs and what drives them to try drugs.
“Is it the school influence, the internet, do they get contacted on Instagram? I guess with more information, it will be more assuring to know what the government and parents can do better,” she said.
On the survey numbers showing that 30 per cent of respondents who had taken drugs in the past year did so at home, Ms Yu said that it did not matter where a child takes drugs.
“The fact that they can get drugs easily is something that needs to be worried about,” she said.
On how the government could partner with parents, Mr Gurushankar proposed conducting school excursions to the Drug Rehabilitation Centre or holding talks with reformed drug abusers to highlight the consequences of taking drugs in Singapore.
The government could also set up a hotline for parents to call if they suspect their children of experimenting with drugs and need advice or help from counsellors, he said.
Ms Yu said that the government could also deter young people from trying drugs by sending out the message that there are health risks to consuming them.
This article was originally published in TODAY.