Understanding cannabis use in Singapore: profile of users and drug progression

INTRODUCTION@#Cannabis has consistently been the third most commonly abused drug among drug arrestees in Singapore over the past few years. Accordingly, this study aimed to understand the profile of cannabis users in Singapore and explore the effects of cannabis use on drug progression.@*METHODS@#A total of 450 participants who had used cannabis at least once in their lifetime were recruited from the National Addictions Management Service, prisons, the Community Rehabilitation Centre and halfway houses from August 2017 to May 2018. A face-to-face questionnaire was administered and descriptive analyses were conducted.@*RESULTS@#The mean participant age was 40.9 ± 14.51 years, and 93.1% of them were male. The participants generally initiated cannabis use during adolescence, at a mean onset age of 16.5 ± 4.46 years. Most (89.6%) were introduced to cannabis by peers. Approximately half of them (46.9%) had used cannabis before other illicit drugs and 42.1% of them had used heroin as the succeeding drug.@*CONCLUSION@#In Singapore, cannabis use is often initiated during adolescence, largely under peer influence. Cannabis users may progress to other illicit drugs, particularly heroin, later in life.

Utilisation patterns of helpline and Web chat services among gamblers in Singapore

We evaluated the utilisation of a helpline and Web chat system by the public for gambling-related services in Singapore over a period of 12 months. The profile of callers, call characteristics and actions taken were descriptively analysed using aggregate data. The majority of helpline calls and Web chats were from gamblers aged 40-49 years (23.3%, n = 644). Gamblers made 85.4% (n = 8,010) of the calls to the helpline and 73.3% (n = 546) of the Web chats. About four-fifths of the gamblers were Chinese (79.5%, n = 6,381) and employed full time (79.9%, n = 4,125). Table games (67.6%, n = 2,605) were the most popular gambling activity reported by callers, 55.8% of which involved local casinos. Enquiries were mostly casino related (92.4%, n = 5,739). Approximately 1,827 calls were received per month during the study period and 185 referrals were made to the clinic, 80.5% of whom sought treatment.