Out of the box Caning for first time drug abusers
A former drug addict suggested that caning should be imposed on first time drug abusers to discourage them from taking this experiment. Young people are frightened about being caned, so it will be an effective deterrent.

I carried out a survey. Only 23% voted in favor of this strategy. 45% voted in favor of increasing public awareness through various communication channels.

This survey result showed the difficulty of solving this social problem. Most people prefer the easy way out. 

Why do I say this?

The government has been adopting public education as the primary means for decades. While this has been effective to reduce drug addiction, it does not stop the drug addiction. Large numbers of young people have to be rehabilitated at great cost to society. 

The drug addicts also faced a great cost to themselves, due to the lack of prospects for a proper job, that they did not realize it. The cost of being caught as an addict is quite low to them. 

Why do the majority of the respondents prefer public education? They do not want to face the hard choice of dealing with this problem. They probably want to feel good about the soft approach, hoping that it will solve the problem. They ignore the fact that this approach did not solve the problem for decades. 

Sure, we must have continuing education and awareness. A part of that education is the cost of being caught as an addict and the prospect of being caned.

Some people think that drug addicts only harm themselves and not society at large. This is not the case. In some countries, the drug addicts have to resort to violent crime to get the money to feed their addiction. 

In a neighboring country, the president decided that hardcore drug addicts have to be killed extra judicially. It goes to show the extent of this serious problem. There is no other way to solve it. I am not suggesting extra judicial or legal killing. 

We should take steps to ensure that the problem does not go to an uncontrollable extent.

I am in favor of imposing caning on first time drug abusers. But this discretion should be allowed to the judge. It should not be imposed when the young offender was not aware that it was a narcotic drug. But the justice system should have an effective deterrent.

Tan Kin Lian

Vote - do you agree that the judge be allowed to impose caning for first time drug abusers?
 

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