SINGAPORE: More young drug abusers were arrested in 2025, the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said on Tuesday (Feb 10), with one in two new drug abusers arrested under the age of 30.

In its annual statistics report, CNB director Sebastian Tan said the youth drug problem remains a concern, highlighting that the youngest drug abuser arrested last year was just 12 years old.

Of the 1,165 new drug abusers arrested in 2025, about half of them were below 30 years old, an increase of about 9 per cent from the previous year.

The rise was even more significant in the under-20 age group, where the number of arrested new drug abusers increased by 22 per cent - from 134 to 163.

All cannabis abusers below 20 years old were new abusers, while about 6 in 10 new cannabis abusers were below 30.

Of the 177 drug abusers below 20 years old who were arrested, 139 - about 79 per cent - were methamphetamine abusers.

Overall, Singapore’s drug situation remained stable in 2025 with 3,208 drug abusers arrested, up from the 3,175 in 2024, CNB said.

More new drug abusers were arrested, rising from 996 to 1,165 - or by 17 per cent. 

The number of repeat drug abusers arrested dropped by 6 per cent, from 2,179 to 2,043. 

Methamphetamine, heroin, and cannabis were the three most commonly abused drugs in Singapore in 2025, said CNB, with about 95 per cent of offenders arrested for abusing at least one of those substances. 

Of all the drug abusers arrested in 2025, about 20 per cent abused more than one type of drug.