SINGAPORE, April 8 -- The Singapore government will defend a law that shifts the burden of proof to offenders found with a specific quantity of drugs, The Straits Times reported, as a constitutional challenge is heard before the Court of Appeal.

Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam said in a ministerial statement today that there are no plans to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA), though the courts will decide on the constitutionality of its presumptions, according to the report.

Under the MDA, individuals found with controlled substances are presumed to have them in their possession unless they prove otherwise.

Additionally, those caught with quantities exceeding certain thresholds-such as 2g of diamorphine-are presumed to ...