Introduction
What is Ecstasy
Why do people take Ecstasy?
Who are the people taking Ecstasy
The Enforcement, the Law

Introduction

Ecstasy has been widely acknowledged to be a serious global problem the international community cannot ignore. It is believed to have reached Singapore in the late 1995. In March 1996, the first Ecstasy tablets were recovered in a CNB operation. As in other countries, Ecstasy is connected with the night entertainment and dance scenes where young people dance into the night to rave, trance and especially techno music. While dancing, Ecstasy users have been known to shake their heads vigorously as if they were hallucinating.

So what is Ecstasy?
Ecstasy is methyledioxyamphetamine (MDMA). It is manufactured illegally in laboratories and comes in mainly tablet and capsule form. It comes in a multitude of colors such as white, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink...It has playful and imaginative names like 'Dove', 'Playboy', 'Pink', 'Sky Blue', 'Donald Duck', 'Dollar', 'Butterfly', 'RN', 'Superman', 'Bullet'.....and many more.

In 1996, these colorful little tablets and pills had become the 'in' thing to take at night-spots for the hip and trendy. It was available at many public entertainment places including discotheques, night-clubs and KTV lounges. It was not an uncommon sight to go to a disco and see a group of young boys and girls shaking away vigorously like epileptics on the dance floor to the repetitious disco rhythm.

Why do people take ecstasy?

People think that ecstasy gives them energy.
But isn't the vibrancy of youthful energy enough for one to have clean healthy fun?
Then some argue: But it's 'cool'.
However, nobody ever gets awards or Olympic medals for being 'cool'.
Lastly, they might say young people just want to do wild things.
But you shouldn't ruin your body, go to jail or even get killed for just a little bit of excitement.

This is exactly what happened in Britain where there are dozens of deaths due to Ecstasy consumption.
CNB constantly make it clear that ecstasy is not a designer drug as many perceive it to be, but in actuality, a killer drug.

Ecstasy is a stimulant that can push the abuser beyond his physical limit. As such dehydration may occur as a result of prolonged and strenuous physical exertions such as dancing 6 hours non-stop. Conversely, the abuser can also die from over-consumption of water to counter the effects of dehydration.

As Ecstasy is produces illegally in home-made backyard laboratories, the abuser will not know the combination of chemicals in the tablets. The body can react very badly to the combination of drugs. There may be impurities or contaminants mixed in the drugs. In mild cases, the abuser may suffer from a bout of diarrhoea. However, in some cases, the result is death. Furthermore an Ecstasy abuser usually abuses other drugs to recover form the effects produced by Ecstasy itself. This mixture of drugs can play havoc to their body.

Who are the people taking Ecstasy?

•   Age and Gender
  Most of the abusers are in their 20s to early 30s. Those below 20 constitute 15%. This is a group which causes greater concern as these teenagers are the nation's future. Most Ecstasy abusers are male. However, the female abusers are found to be younger with more than one third of them below the age of 20.

• Race
  Chinese forms the majority of the Ecstasy abuser.

• Nationality
  94% of the abusers are Singaporeans while 6% are Malaysians.

• Education
  Most of the abusers are also not well educated. Majority has only secondary education, vocational training or less. Only 14% have passed their O levels.

• Employment
  Almost half are engaged in blue collar occupations such as odd job labourers, hawkers, deliverymen etc. The rest hold jobs in sales or are students or national servicemen. About one quarter of the abusers is unemployed.

• Previous Criminal/Drug records
  Among the abusers, about half have criminal records out of which many are involved in secret societies activities. Almost one-fifth are traced with drug records.

• Multiple-Drug abusers
  Small number of the abusers was also tested positive for consumption of other drugs including heroin and cannabis.

• First timers
  A large percentage (82%) of those arrested for ecstasy consumption are first time drug abusers untraced for previous drug records. Most of the abusers are perhaps not fully aware of the consequences that follow their illicit experiments with Ecstasy.

The Enforcement, the Law

Since the appearance of Ecstasy in Singapore in March 1996, CNB has arrested more than 1000 Ecstasy offenders in hundreds of raids. CNB regularly conduct raids, especially at nightspots where Ecstasy abuse is most rampant. The Bureau has already established co-operative ties with the night entertainment industry on the whole. With the full support of nightspot owners, CNB thus actively monitors and frequently carries out enforcement actions to curb drug activities among their patrons.

Ecstasy offenders are prosecuted in court for trafficking, possession and consumption. Others have been either detained under Criminal Law (TP) Act, placed under supervision by CNB, repatriated or referred to SAF.

The consequences of getting involved in drug activities are as follows. A person found trafficking in Ecstasy can be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years imprisonment and 15 strokes of the came or both. Someone found in possession of Ecstasy can get 10 years imprisonment and $20,000/- fine or both. If the same person is a subsequent offender, he will get a minimum jail term of 3 years.

Initially, a young first timer abuser was only given relatively light fines or a jail term of 1-2 months. However, in December 1996, Chief Justice Yong Pung How made a landmark judgement when he ruled that first-time offenders could face 12-18 months imprisonment if found guilty of Ecstasy abuse; whereas a 2nd timer offender will face a 3 years imprisonment. His decision was intended to check the rise in Ecstasy abuse in Singapore. Custodial sentences have been meted out to Ecstasy abuser as young as 16 years, even if they are first time offenders. In addition, these persons are subjected to a mandatory 2 years supervision order under CNB once they are released from the Prison. For the next 2 years, they have to report for urine tests 3 times a week at a Police Station.

Singaporeans who are aware of the consequences of Ecstasy abuse in Singapore are now going to Batam or Johore for Ecstasy related activities. A syndicate that was crippled recently used to bring Singaporeans to Batam for shake head session at a couple of local discotheque. CNB is working jointly with the Indonesian and Malaysian authorities to stamp out Ecstasy abuse relating to both countries.

The Ecstasy problem has gained considerable publicity over the past couple of years. The local print media has contributed significantly in making the public aware of the dangers of Ecstasy Abuse. CNB work closely with the local media, giving both press statements as well as press conference on all drug seizures, raids, arrests and prosecutions. The preventive drug education message is targeted particularly at the high-risk youths, in hope that they will think twice when they are tempted to indulge in Ecstasy abuse or influence others to experiment with Ecstasy. CNB believes that it is crucial that the young are aware of the danger of Ecstasy before they are introduced to it. Afterall, prevention is better than cure.

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