Is India slowly turning a nation of drug addicts?

A study conducted in 2015 by UNODC in the North Eastern States show that women aged 18 years and above, use opioid drugs or poly drug use through oral as well as by injecting. 42% had completed higher secondary to college level education. For nearly a third of the respondents, the key source of income is selling drugs or sex. More than a fourth of the women are widowed or separated. Among nearly two thirds of the women, the first drug used other than tobacco or alcohol is an opioid - heroin. A little more than a third of the women who use drugs admit to a pathological pattern of alcohol use, and concurrent use of cannabis by 35%.

Among those who use drugs through a non-injecting mode, the prevalence of current use of proxyvon, sedatives and heroin is 52 per cent, 56% and 13%, respectively. Most (86%) women users have a family member or friend using the same drug. Women who use drugs are sexually active, with only a fourth of them reporting no sex with a partner of the opposite sex. Physical violence is also common among women who use drugs, with nearly two-thirds of the participants having been hit with a fist or kicked or beaten, at least once or more. The incidence of physical violence with a frequency of once or more by non-sex partners, sex partners, community, neighbours, police and casual sex partners is 62%, 54%, 28%, 27% and 26%, respectively. Among the respondents, a third have been sexually abused more than once.

Just more than a third of the women became pregnant during the time of drug use. Injecting is more prevalent in the high HIV burden states of Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland and more than a third of these women are selling drugs or sex to earn their livelihood. The transition from non-injecting to injecting mode occurred for more than half of the women participants.

There is significantly more pathological pattern of alcohol use among 43% of women who inject drugs, with unhealthy levels of alcohol consumption. A significantly larger proportion of women who inject drugs have been incarcerated and more than a third of them have also used drugs while in prison. In the four high HIV burden states—Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland— more than a third of the women who use drugs are selling drugs or sex to earn their livelihood.

In Madhya Pradesh, opium cultivation has been permitted by the Government of India since opium and the derivatives obtained from it are used in pharmaceutical preparations. USA, Switzerland, Japan are large importers from India. However, there is leakage from the growing areas as the farmers under declare the area and the yield to the government. The opium which escapes its procurement by the department under the control of the Narcotics Commissioner to the Government of India is either sold as such or converted into heroin by using acetic anhydride, a precursor chemical to receive higher price margins. Even the opium seeds also fetch a very high price.

In Rajasthan, it is customary to distribute opium water during ceremonies – marriages, births, deaths or any other ceremony. If a person is offered opium water and if he refuses he will be treated as an enemy. During election time a minimum of 3 kg of opium is required for distribution by a candidate. A Cabinet Minister once confessed to me that he had to use opium during his election campaign in his constituency. In spite of border fencing and patrolling by the BSF, heroin is smuggled across the border into India and concealed on the Pakistani side of the border near a bush which his counterpart in India knows. The Indian counterpart goes across the border retrieves the consignment from the concealed place and the same is immediately dispatched to Bombay either for local sale or for export to other countries.

In Chakrata Hills, close to Dehra Dun, at about 3,000 feet there is illicit cultivation of poppy by farmers to supplement their income. Once when an attempt was made to destroy the illicit cultivation, there was tremendous protest from the women of that region. In spite of periodic operations conducted illicit cultivation of poppy continues in this area.

There has been no official survey to estimate the scale of illegal cultivation across Arunachal Pradesh. But a 2010 survey, carried out by the think tank - Institute of Narcotics Studies and Analysis (INSA) – estimated there were over 15,000 hectares (150 square kilometres) of opium fields in Anjaw and Lohit districts alone.

In the first round of opium destruction in 2019, officials destroyed 285 hectares of opium in the Medo area, near Wakro, and 210 hectares of opium in the Lohitpur area near Tezu in February, after which a case was lodged under the NDPS Act, 1985 at Wakro police station. According to the INSA survey, "As many as 43% of villages in Lohit and 14.4 % of villages in Anjaw had opium growing fields of size more than one hectare." In 90% of the villages in Anjaw district and 63% of villages in Lohit district every family was cultivating opium.

In various districts of rural Manipur, the poppy plant can be found growing barely a few kilometers from residential areas. Although poppy cultivation is illegal, the plant is being extensively cultivated in the interior hill areas of the state. Illegal poppy cultivation for opium has been in existence for almost a decade, but production has increased manifold in the last few years. The INSA survey used a probability-based sampling technique (a total of 60 households from three hill districts in Manipur—Kangpokpi, Churachandpur, and Tengnoupal—that engage in poppy cultivation for opium were surveyed), and in-depth interviews were conducted with 30 opium farmers.

Narratives from the field reveal that poverty, food insecurity, and material needs are the drivers of illegal opium production in Manipur. The short-term measures taken up by law enforcement officials, such as the forcible eradication of poppy cultivation, are insignificant unless and until the government provides these farmers with sustainable alternative livelihoods. Arguably, broad-based development programmes that address economic, social, and political issues must be favoured over enforced eradication and other repressive and often counterproductive measures.In Kerala, particularly in Kambakkal hills, at an altitude of 8000 ft in the virgin forest areas ranging from 8 to 10 acres is cleared and ganja plants are planted. Apart from the above, some of the pharmaceutical units are clandestinely manufacturing Mandrax, a hypnotic sedative and MDMA (Methamphetamine / Ecstasy) a designer drug preferred by film stars and the rich, for making enormous profits.

Avoiding peer pressures and temptation is a major factor in the life of a teenager who should be helped to say 'NO' and develop goals and dreams for achievement. Prevention programmes should be conducted by schools, colleges, civic, community and special interest groups and law enforcement agencies. Mass media can play a very important role in bringing about awareness amongst the youth particularly highlighting the adverse effects of drugs on their health and future life. It is also necessary to introduce in the curriculum, material on measures to prevent drug abuse in the following courses – MBBS, Nursing, MSW (Social Work), M.A. (Psychology), BEd, Law, B pharm. and M pharm. The Foundation Course for the Civil Services should include a few lectures on the adverse effects of drug abuse and the necessity for tackling drug trafficking.

While drug addiction is a major problem debilitating the youth of the country, we should keep in mind that the money generated in drug trafficking and other related serious crimes is being used to finance terrorism. The combined activities of terrorist organizations and state agencies constitute an escalating danger to India's security and society. Further, narco-terrorism is an integral component of Pakistan's state-sponsorship of cross-border terrorism used for funding and conducting asymmetric warfare against India to achieve its foreign policy goals. Criminal networks and terrorist organisations like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Haqqani network and others who closely work with the ISI and Pakistan military. International observers have started to describe Pakistan as a 'Narco-State' based on the sponsorship of illicit activities conducted by ISI and the Army.

Pakistan's established nexus with India's underworld and terrorists promoted through the lucrative and mutually beneficial channels of smuggling contraband, narcotics and arms supply in its multifaceted dimensions needs to be tackled on long term basis. This will require enhancement of our own capability supported by modern technology and cooperation of the neighbours and the international agencies.

The proxy war in J & K and insurgencies in the North East and sleeping cells operating in different parts of the country require a commonalty of perception and approach amongst national agencies and a national level policy to resolve the situation.

(Writer is former DG, DRI, DG, NCB and Member, CBIC,

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