Misuse of Drugs Act will be enhanced to expand use of hair testing: Faishal

The Misuse of Drugs Act will be enhanced to expand the use of hair testing, according to Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Faishal Ibrahim on Friday (Feb 27).

He was speaking in Parliament at the Ministry of Home Affairs Committee of Supply debates where he tackled how Singapore can combat drug abuse.

Hair testing, which is used to determine if drug abuser should be placed on supervision or admitted to a Drug Rehabilitation Centre, will be extended to be used for prosecution by the introduction of a presumption clause for hair test results.

This means that if a controlled drug is found in a person’s hair, they will be presumed to have abused it, Associate Professor Faishal stated. 

"This gives CNB a stronger tool for enforcement, since hair tests can detect abuse over a longer period," he explained.

Hair analysis is different from that of urine testing as it provides the history of drug abuse from months to years, according to the Health Sciences Authority.

Prof Faishal also shared results of the 2025 National Drug Perception Survey, which found that more youth in 2025 perceived drug abuse as harmful.

According to the survey, 87.7 per cent held conservative views compared to 83.2 per cent in 2023. Comparatively, 90.2 per cent of adults view drug abuse negatively.

Additionally, 92.7 per cent of youth respondents and 96.3 per cent of the adult respondents expressed support for the stringent laws in place to keep drugs out of Singapore, Prof Faishal said.

@asiaone Assoc Prof Faishal Ibrahim, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs, said on Friday (Feb 27), during the Ministry of Home Affairs Committee of Supply debates, that the Misuse of Drugs Act will be enhanced with amended investigative and enforcement methods against drug-related activities. According to the Health Sciences Authority, hair analysis is different from that of urine testing as it provides the history of drug abuse from months to years. Hair testing is currently used to determine if a drug abuser should be placed on supervision or admitted to a Drug Rehabilitation Centre. #sgnews #singapore #parliament #drugenforcement #hair ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

In combating drug abuse, the ministry will also be enhancing skills training and career facilitation to strengthen rehabilitation and reintegration for drug abusers.

This includes workplace literacy and numeracy assessment and preparatory courses, as well as new partnerships with Temasek Polytechnic for courses in communications and graphics as well as media and content creation.

Career resources centres have also been set up in prisons to allow pre-release inmates to access career-related materials, prepare their resume, submit job applications and attend career talks.

This empowers inmates to take ownership of their employment journey, Prof Faishal said.

Singapore Prison Service will also be implementing the Peer Engagement and Empowered Rehabilitation Support Framework to strengthen the existing community of prosocial inmates and desistors — ex-offenders who have successfully stepped away from crime or drug abuse. 

Inmates that are suited for this framework have been trained as peer supporters and be developing their skills by co-facilitating motivational and psychological correctional programmes with SPS staff, Prof Faishal said.

"Upon release, these peer supporters can join the Desistor Network community to further develop their skills in this area, through participation in desistor support groups and continuous learning."

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khooyihang@asiaone.com