Singapore Breaks Record For Largest Marijuana Seizure, A Sign That The Country Has Not Opened Its Eyes

Cannabis plant (Matteo Paganelli/Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The Singapore Anti-Narcotics Agency carried out the largest seizure of marijuana in 14 years. The plants were confiscated from a series of raids this week.

There were 20.5 kilograms of marijuana confiscated. Apart from the cannabis plant, the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) also confiscated a number of narcotics.

The narcotics are heroin, crystal methamphetamine, and a number of other drugs. Even so, CNB focuses on the confiscation of five-finger plants.

"This operation shows that marijuana remains a clear and real threat to society," a CNB spokesman said in an explanation.

The Strict Narcotics Law

In Singapore, marijuana is still classified as narcotics. Singapore is also known to have some of the most strict drug laws in the world. Singapore also does not hesitate to apply the death penalty.

In the confiscation case estimated to have been worth nearly SGD 1.7 million --IDR 18.1 billion equivalent-- three Singaporean men aged between 27 and 33 were arrested.

The last seizure of marijuana on this scale occurred in April 2007. If this year the total seizure of narcotics --assuming marijuana as narcotics-- was 35 kilograms, in 2007, the total seized was 20.6 kilograms.

In the midst of global marijuana legalization support

When many countries around the world are starting to open their eyes to the benefits of marijuana and legalize it for a number of purposes, such as recreational, medical, and scientific, Singapore shows no signs of this.

"Many pro-cannabis lobby groups continue to make many unverified claims to encourage marijuana use, despite strong and well-documented studies of the dangers of marijuana," said a CNB spokesman.

The Southeast Asian country said last year it was disappointed with the United Nations (UN) for eliminating cannabis from the most strictly controlled category of a narcotic drug.

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The wealthy city-state has a zero-tolerance policy towards drugs and imposes long prison terms or the death penalty in some cases.

Hundreds of people have been hanged --including foreigners-- for drug offenses over the past decades, rightist groups say.

For marijuana, trading in more than 500 grams of marijuana carries a death sentence in Singapore.

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