There was “no clear evidence” that national swimmers Joseph Schooling or Amanda Lim were currently taking drugs, said Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam on Thursday (Sep 1).
In response to claims that Joseph Schooling and Amanda Lim, national swimmers, were given a free pass after being investigated for cannabis use, law minister K. Shanmugam issued a statement.
Mr Shanmugam wrote in a Facebook post that the urine test results of the two swimmers for drugs were “negative”.
Here’s Full Statement :
“In the cases of Schooling and Amanda, there was no clear evidence that they were currently taking drugs – the evidence was inconclusive”.
“Their urine tests were negative”. (They were, however, honest and admitted to having taken drugs in the past.)
Mr Shanmugam added that Lim was also found to have drug utensil in her possession, and she received a stern warning from the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Additionally, the minister reaffirmed the government’s stance, which is to treat “pure drug abusers as humans who actually need help.”
“We are very tough on drug traffickers and those involved in the drug trade. That includes imposing capital punishment”, he said.
“This is in contrast to how we treat pure drug abusers, who haven’t committed any other offence. Since 2019, our approach is to treat such pure drug abusers, as persons who really need help. They will not be imprisoned or have a criminal record (even though consumption is an offence)”.
“Instead, we take steps to help them rehabilitate – which could include DRC (Drug Rehabilitation Centre) or supervision. This would help them to reintegrate into society more quickly and effectively.
“Our approach: People might have taken drugs, years ago, or months ago. We don’t send people to DRC, or even give warnings, in the absence of current drug-taking / positive test.”
But he also reminded drug abusers that consuming drugs overseas is still a crime, adding: “If there is clear evidence of current use of drugs, then CNB will take steps, regardless of whether the consumption took place in Singapore or overseas. So don’t assume that if you consume drugs overseas, you will be let off with a warning.”
On Tuesday (Aug 30), Sport Singapore revealed that the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) had investigated Schooling, 27, and fellow national swimmer Amanda Lim, 29, for the consumption of cannabis.
Lim, who won a silver in the women’s 50m freestyle and was part of the gold-winning women’s 4x100m freestyle quartet in Vietnam, was subsequently issued a stern warning by the CNB under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Schooling, whose urine tests for controlled drugs returned negative, was referred to the Ministry of Defence as he is currently undergoing national service.
Mindef has placed him on an SAF-supervised urine test regime as part of the treatment and rehabilitation process. He was also issued a formal letter of warning.
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