| USED syringes and empty blister packs litter the floor. Dried blood stains can be seen on the wall. And residents in this Woodlands block are a worried lot. Subutex abusers, they say, continue to be brazen about shooting up. Buprenorphine, the active ingredient in Subutex, became a controlled drug on 14 Aug this year.  | | --Dominic Ying | Anyone caught importing, distributing, possessing or consuming Subutex will be punished. (See report at right.) When The New Paper visited Block 360, Woodlands Ave 5, on Wednesday, six syringes, used by abusers, were found strewn on a grass patch beside the block and also within the staircases. The block consists of five-room and maisonette flats. For residents like Mr Tan (not his real name), the most worrying part is the exposed needles lying around. He said: 'I don't care if these guys are shooting themselves up silly, but when they litter the place with syringes, it's dangerous. 'There are many children playing and running around the area and people walking up and down. Someone can get hurt stepping on it or, worse, get infected.' Mr Tan claimed the drug abuse has been going on for the past two years and he suspects that abusers are using a flat and a staircase to get their fix. He had called the police a month ago to report the problem and has seen them patrolling the block. But he still sees suspicious behaviour. He said: 'Every week, I see someone coming here on a bicycle carrying a package in a plastic bag and taking the lift to the sixth floor. 'I also noticed men in their 20s and 30s carrying packets of hot water going to that floor.' Police spokesman ASP Stanley Norbert said they are aware of the activities at Block 360 and are continuing patrols at the vicinity. STAIRCASE HIDEOUT The staircase landing where the abusers apparently congregate is a perfect hideout because it is enclosed by doors at every floor. Mr Tan said most residents do not use that staircase unless there is an emergency, preferring another, open staircase. When The New Paper visited the sixth floor staircase landing in the afternoon, a bare-bodied man in his 30s was sitting there smoking, with a glass of water next to him. He was startled when he heard footsteps walking down the stairs and quickly hid things in his pocket. A used syringe was spotted nearby and a splatter of dried blood could be seen on the walls and steps. Another resident who has lived there for 10 years said that it was usually after a weekend that there was more of such litter lying around. According to residents we spoke to, the abusers are also a nuisance of because they loiter around the void deck area. WORRIED A mother told The New Paper that there are often youths hanging around there. 'My young son told me that they would stare at him when he walks past them. He now takes a detour to avoid them. 'I also keep a lookout for him from my window when he comes home from school,' she said. Mr Tan said he's fed up with the situation. 'It's not comfortable to be living with such things happening around your flat. Something has to be done,' he said.
Stiffer penalties for Subutex abusers THE Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) arrested 62 Subutex abusers and seized over 1,000 Subutex tablets in September, said CNB spokesman Agnes Lim. The action came after buprenorphine, the active ingredient in Subutex, was made a controlled drug in August. From 14 to 27 Aug, Subutex users were given the chance to join the Subutex Voluntary Rehabilitation Programme. Said Ms Lim: 'CNB will continue with vigorous enforcement efforts against illicit drug activities to maintain a strong deterrent presence against drug offenders. 'The stiff penalties in place, which include long-term imprisonment for recalcitrant abusers, will also deter recalcitrant abusers from persisting with their abuse of drugs.' Making Subutex a controlled drug meant stiffer penalties for its abuse. First and second-time users arrested for Subutex consumption will go through compulsory treatment at Drug Rehabilitation Centre. Repeat abusers will face jail of up to seven years and six strokes of the cane. If caught again, they may be jailed 13 years and given 12 strokes. | 
