DATA from the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) since 2003 show more Chinese addicts being arrested every year than from the other races.
The figures for the first half of this year are sobering. Of the 446 drug abusers arrested, 74 per cent are Chinese, 17 per cent are Malays and 7 per cent Indians. The rest are from other races. The figures were about the same for the whole of last year.
Based on CNB data for last year, the typical profile of a synthetic drug abuser in Singapore is a Chinese man in the 20-29 age group.
He is likely to have primary or secondary education and is likely to be employed as a service, shop or market sales worker.
Glenn, 29, not his real name, is a typical example of a synthetic drug abuser.
He is clean-cut, has no tattoos, is soft-spoken and does not have family problems.
He started abusing drugs at 14. He is on a six-month drug rehabilitation programme at the Christian Care Services Centre.
He has just completed a five-year prison sentence for consumption of Ketamine. He received one-third remission for good behaviour.
At 21, he was jailed for three years for consumption of Ecstacy.
Glenn was introduced to 'goo', a Hokkien slang for marijuana, at a party. At 18, he turned to synthetic drugs such as Ecstacy, Ketamine and Ice.
Today, he's adamant about quitting. He said he has disappointed his family, especially his mother.
He said it would help if the Chinese community sees drug addiction as a problem within the community and tackles it head on.
He said: 'Yes, I think it would (help). To know the horrors that drugs can cause - to hear it in your own language and environment. It might frighten some kids away from taking them.'
Staff of halfway houses also worry that the classification of Subutex as an illegal substance may mean a comeback for heroin.
But the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) was quick to add that it has not let up in its fight against heroin trafficking and abuse.
A spokesman told The Starits Times: 'The supply of heroin remains scarce and there is no evidence so far of a displacement effect from Subutex.'
LOL... majority of Singaporeans are Chinese. They make up a huge portion of Singapore. I won't be surprised at such a percentage. If this percentage is reversed, then it is a cause of concern.