A 10-year review of drug seizures in Singapore

Heroin in Malaysia and Singapore

Clandestine heroin laboratories have been a feature of the Malaysian illicit drug scene since soon after the abuse of heroin emerged in 1972. The first few clandestine heroin laboratories which synthesised heroin via the acetylation of imported morphine were uncovered in 1973 and 1977. By the mid-1980s, this type of laboratory was replaced by heroin-cutting laboratories whereby imported high-grade heroin was cut to street heroin. This was to meet the rising demand for the drug owing to the rapid escalation of the number of drug users. Over the years, the most significant change in the composition of the street heroin is the decrease in its purity from 30%-50% to 3%-5%. Caffeine has remained the major adulterant and chloroquine is detected in virtually all recent seizures.

Drug offenders in Taiwan and the United States: a cross-cultural analysis

Using data collected from nationwide surveys of drug-using offenders in the United States and Taiwan, this article compares offender differences with respect to socio-demographic characteristics, childhood experiences, drug use and treatment patterns, and criminal histories. The results suggest that the experiences of U.S. drug-using offenders are more complex, with multiple routes and consequences of drug use, while the social constructionist view is more appropriate to explain the experience of Taiwanese drug-using offenders. Overall, U.S. drug-using offenders reported earlier drug and criminal involvement, experienced more prior arrests, and committed more non-drug-related crimes. Family problems were more prevalent among U.S. drug-using offenders than Taiwanese drug-using offenders. Drug-using offenders in the U.S. also reported using a variety of different drugs and participating in multiple treatment programs. The major agents supplying illicit drugs were known dealers, and friends or acquaintances of U.S. and Taiwanese drug-using offenders, respectively. The article concludes that to effectively eliminate the problem of drug misuse, the Taiwanese government should focus on treatment instead of imprisonment, while the U.S. should target troubled teens and families.