SINGAPORE - While other pupils were preparing to take their Primary School Leaving Examination, Mr Francis How, then 12, was learning how to roll and smoke cannabis, thanks to his “brothers” in a gang.

His early introduction to drugs led Mr How, now 50, on a roller-coaster ride with the law, resulting in his 11 years in prison for drug-related offences and other crimes.

On May 8, Mr How was lauded in Parliament as one of the success stories by Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam in a ministerial statement on Singapore’s national drug control policy.

Mr How, who has stayed drug-free since his release from prison in 2006, told The Straits Times: “Who would have thought I would one day be invited to Parliament and be mentioned in a minister’s speech? This shows that change is possible for anybody, even drug abusers.”

The secondary school dropout decided to turn his back on drugs and crime after realising his mother had been thinking of his well-being all along.

Today, the father of three daughters and a son, ranging from four to 11 years old, runs his own shipyard repair business and volunteers by speaking to prison inmates and troubled teens.

Mr How was not the only former drug abuser to be invited to Parliament on May 8. About 120 of them and their families joined the proceedings from the public gallery.

During his speech, Mr Shanmugam and members of the House applauded and recognised the presence of families scarred by drug abuse.

Earlier, Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Minister of State for Home Affairs and National Development, said he was happy to see many familiar faces at a reception in Parliament House.

Prof Faishal added: “I know the journey is tough, and I applaud you for staying steadfast and for persevering through the challenges and setbacks... Some of you have even started to give back to the community so that you can prevent the next generation from falling prey to drug abuse.”

It was because of her children that former drug abuser Salimah Sukar, 59, fought her addiction and won. She was in her 20s when her first husband introduced her to “chasing the dragon” with heroin.

She spent about 10 years in prison for her drug offences.

Referring to her four children, Madam Salimah said: “I was apprehended in front of them... I later told myself I want to come back and live under one roof with my family.”

Fortunately, her children, now aged between 16 and 24, were understanding.

In his speech, Mr Shanmugam outlined the global drug situation, as well as that of Singapore’s.

In 2023, new abusers arrested in Singapore rose by 18 per cent from 2022, and the number of cannabis users reached a 10-year high. The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) seized about $15 million worth of drugs and dismantled 25 drug syndicates.

Said Mr Shanmugam: “The Health and Lifestyle Survey conducted by IMH (Institute of Mental Health) in 2022 showed that the mean onset age of illicit drug consumption in Singapore is 15.9 years old – this is the age of a Secondary 4 student. Members can see that we are not exempt from the problems that other countries face.”

In Singapore’s drug control approach, he said, individuals who abuse drugs and have not committed other offences receive treatment and do not get a criminal record.

However, the authorities will engage in “war” against drug traffickers.

“We have zero tolerance for those who destroy the lives of others, for money. The death penalty is imposed on persons who traffic specified amounts... The evidence shows clearly that the death penalty has been an effective deterrent,” he added.

Mr Tan Chong Huat, chairman of the National Council Against Drug Abuse (NCADA), said fighting the drug war would require a whole-of-Singapore effort, with NCADA in the role of “rallying the ecosystem”.

He added that there was also a need for a Victims’ Remembrance Day because it is not true that drugs do not harm people.

“Drugs harm people; not only themselves, but everybody around them. And then the end result is a destroyed society, like the countries that the minister mentioned,” said Mr Tan, referring to Mr Shanmugam.

To educate his son on drug abuse, Mr How made a bold move in April when he took the boy to a cannabis shop in Pattaya, Thailand, while the family was on a cruise stopover.

The nine-year-old understood that smoking cannabis is illegal in Singapore but legal in Thailand.

“I reminded him that if he is caught smoking cannabis in Singapore, he would not be able to see his family except for short prison visits,” said Mr How. “My son shook his head violently when I asked him, ‘Is this the life you want?’”