Thanks very much for downloading this double edition of the documentary from Singapore.

So I've done a lot of narcotics related journalism, especially in Latin America and the US.

But last year, Singapore attracted a lot of attention because it retains the death

penalty for drug trafficking offences including the trafficking of cannabis.

It's an important story but when I dug a bit deeper, I was surprised to learn that Singapore

also has an extensive system of compulsory drug rehabilitation, and that's for anyone caught using illicit narcotics, even casual users.

I thought that'd be interesting to explore, so that's the first part of what you're about to hear.

The second half looks much more at

Singapore's commitment to the use of the death penalty in drug trafficking cases.

This is the documentary from the BBC World Service. I'm Linda Presley with assignment Singapore Drugs Rehab Execution. Meet Kim. drugs, rehab, execution.

Meet Kim.

Many young Singaporeans will have used cannabis at least once or twice, but I was in a small

group of regular cannabis users.

She's a young professional. These are her words but

it's not her voice and Kim's not her real name. She began smoking marijuana

when family life became messy and upsetting. Things got better, but the habit stuck.

My social circle grew to become primarily cannabis users. They became my primary circle

of friends. If Kim was North American or European you wouldn't be

listening to her story. But Singapore has some of the harshest drug laws.

Using any illicit narcotic, including cannabis, is illegal.

And if you're convicted of trafficking drugs like heroin,

methamphetamine and cannabis in larger quantities,

...