Joseph Schooling did not even commit an offence, say activists. They see no reason the drug is not legal in Singapore.
Singapore Activists: Singapore’s Drug Laws Are Stupid!
Joseph Schooling has confessed to taking Cannabis during the May 2022 SEA Games in Hanoi. As a result, he will no longer be allowed to train or compete while serving NS. Some local activists however do not see any issue with his drug use. They say taking drugs should not even be an offence in the first place.
Responding to the news, Kirsten Han wrote:
This is literally nothing and hurt no one and the only reason it’s an offence to be investigated is because Singapore has laws that police Singaporean bodies even when we are abroad
Kirsten Han
Kirsten added that while she knows the World Anti-Doping Agency prohibits athletes from using Marijuana, Singapore’s own law is stupid.
Another activist Jolovan Wham echoed Kirsten Han’s sentiments, saying that it is ridiculous that taking drugs overseas is an offence:
“It’s already ridiculous that you are considered to have committed an offence if you consumed drugs overseas… The extent to which the State has control over our bodies, words and thoughts is outrageous”
Jolovan Wham
Activist cum historian Thum Ping Tjin also ridiculed Singapore’s drug laws by posting a photo of cannabis at a convenience store in Switzerland.
His post reads:
“Just landed in Geneva. They have a popular local brand of cannabis here called Starbuds, available at any convenience store. Yet society here doesn’t seem to have fallen apart. How interesting. #sensibledruglaws #josephschoolingdidnothingwrong #amandalimdidnothingwrong”
Thum Ping Tjin
Included in his post are the hashtags #josephschoolingdidnothingwrong and #amandalimdidnothingwrong.
The activists have spoken: Consuming cannabis should not be an offence when taken overseas and it should not even be an offence in Singapore. Why criminalise drug use? Make it legal!
