Afghan Opium Production rises for a fifth year: UN

In News

• According to a United Nations report, Afghanistan’s opium production crossed the 6,000-ton mark for the fifth straight year.

Key Findings

• Output grew 8% this year and incentives for cultivation have risen as prices have picked up amid soaring poverty and food insecurity.
• Accounting for some 87% of the global production, despite a two-decade effort by the US to deter illegal production of the drug in the country. 
• Income from opiates in Afghanistan amounted to some $1.8-$2.7 billion in 2021.
• This trend is undermining efforts to stop the war-torn nation from being the hub of the global drug trade.

Afghanistan and Opium

• Largest producer: Afghanistan is the world’s largest opium producer, accounting for some 87% of the global production, despite a $9 billion, two-decade effort by the US to deter illegal production of the drug in the country. 
• Economy dependent on opium: The crop also makes up the largest share of illegal activity in the country where the economy has been long dependent on foreign aid and opium sales.
  • Income from opiates in Afghanistan amounted to some $1.8-$2.7 billion in 2021
  • However, much larger sums are accrued along illicit drug supply chains outside Afghanistan.

Global Scenario

• The supply source for this huge underground economy is now concentrated in three areas: 
  • Afghanistan, 
  • South-East Asia (mostly Myanmar) and 
  • Latin America (Mexico and Colombia). 
• Together, they supply nearly all the world’s illicit opium and heroin, but Afghanistan stands out among this group, accounting for around 90% of global illicit opium production in recent years. 

Impact on India

• Rising health costs: 
  • Among illicit narcotics, opiates are also the most costly in terms of treatment, medical care and, arguably, drug-related violence. 
  • In addition, heroin is the drug most associated with injection, which brings about a host of acute and chronic health problems, including the transmission of blood-borne diseases such as HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C. 
  • 45% of Heroin in India originates from Afghanistan.
• Stability and security: 
  • Beyond its health impact, the illicit opiate industry also has a detrimental effect on stability and security in a number of places, including through the funding it provides for insurgents in production areas, particularly in Afghanistan. 
• Terrorist angle:
  • There is ‘deep concern about links between illicit drug production, trafficking and involvement of terrorist groups, criminals and transnational organized crime.’

Reasons Behind the Drug Menace in India

• Misguided Youth and Peer Pressure psychology
• Lack of awareness about socio-legal and health consequences
• Proximity with Golden Crescent and Golden Triangle:
  • Golden Triangle: It includes the regions of Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand. 
    • It is Southeast Asia’s main opium-producing region and one of the oldest narcotics supply routes to Europe and North America.
  • Golden Crescent: It includes Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan.
    • It is a principal global site for opium production and distribution.       

Steps Taken by Government to Curb the problem

• International Cooperation:
  • India has signed 26 bilateral pacts, 15 MoUs and 2 agreements on security cooperation with different countries.
  • They all will cooperate and work for combating the illicit trafficking of narcotics, drugs and psychotropic substances, besides chemical precursors.
• Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB): 
  • It coordinated with various international organisations for sharing information and intelligence to combat transnational drug trafficking. 
  • They included the 
    • SAARC Drug Offences Monitoring Desk; 
    • BRICS; 
    • Colombo Plan; 
    • ASEAN Senior Officials on Drug Matters (ASOD); 
    • Bay of Bengal Initiative For Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Co-operation (BIMSTEC); 
    • United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and 
    • the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB).
• Narco Coordination Centre (NCORD) Mechanism:
  • Aim: To coordinate among various Central and State agencies for effective drug law enforcement.
  • Set up by the MHA in 2016. 
  • This NCORD system has been restructured into a four-tier scheme up to the district level on July 29, 2019, for better coordination.
• Launch of e-portal ‘SIMS’ (Seizure Information Management System) in 2019:
  • Purpose: For digitisation of pan-India drug seizure data
  • Launched by the MHA for all the drug law enforcement agencies under the mandate of Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS).
• Multi-Agency Approach:
  • Besides the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, the following are also empowered under the NDPS Act for making drug seizures: 
    • the Border Security Force, 
    • Sashastra Seema Bal, 
    • Indian Coast Guard, 
    • Railway Protection Force and 
    • the National Investigation Agency. 
  • In order to strengthen surveillance along the border for preventing cross-border drug smuggling, the forces were using the latest gadgets and equipment.

Way Ahead

• International cooperation: Foster international cooperation for fighting the enduring problem of drug trafficking. The development of international accountability mechanisms and best practices would greatly increase interception capacity. 
• Global Monitoring: Enhance expert access to the dark web in order to take down online markets and platforms. Implement real-time data monitoring systems for promptly detecting and addressing drug market changes. 
• People-centred Approach: Implement an integrated, people-centred and human-rights based approach to empowering African societies to develop sustainable solutions to drug use.
• Public-private Partnerships: Improve government response to drug trafficking on the internet by forging public/private partnerships with internet service providers, tech companies, shipping and mailing companies. 
• Awareness-Raising and Communication: Use fact-based information to raise awareness of the potential harm from non-medical use of cannabis. Need to close the gap between perception and reality by educating young people and safeguarding public health.

Source: IE