Dr Abhishek Chowhan
Despite the fact that a number of factors govern the use and abuse of illegal drugs, the dynamics of availability of any drug in any particular plays the most important role. The availability of illicit drugs in any geographical area is managed by global black market through illegal drug trade. This is generally characterized by high levels of organization and the presence of strong criminal groups and networks. While such activities existed in the past, both the scale and the geographic scope of the current challenge are unprecedented. Illegal drug trade is dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of drugs that are subjected to drug prohibition laws. Despite drastic punishments for drug dealing, up to and including death in some countries, the worldwide illegal drug trade continues to flourish. In several drug production and transit regions, criminal groups undermine state authority and the rule of law by fueling corruption, compromising elections, and hurting the legitimate economy. In all cases, criminal influence and money are having a significant impact on the livelihoods and quality of life of citizens, most particularly the poor, women and children.
The countries of drug production and transit are some of the most affected by the drug trade, though countries receiving the illegally imported substances are also adversely affected. In many countries worldwide, the illegal drug trade is thought to be directly linked to violent crimes such as murder. Due to the expensive price of highly addictive drugs such as heroin and cocaine, drug use was responsible for the great majority of crime, including shoplifting, burglaries and robberies.
Theunited nations office on drugs and crime (UNODC) conservatively estimate that in 2013, the most recent year for which data is available, 246 million people worldwide, or 1 in 20 individuals between age of 15 to 64 years used an illicit drug. Morealarming was that about 10 % among them were labelled as “problem drug users”. In India, recent figures by ministry of social justice and empowerment suggest that around 72 million people are affected due to drug abuse. According to National Mental Health Survey conducted by Ministry of Health, Government of India about 1% of adult population is using illicit substances like cannabis, heroin, cocaine etc.But what is disturbing being that more and more population is getting addicted to hard substances like heroin.
Dynamics of illicit drug supply is dependent on many factors like geographical location, historical and cultural reality, socio-political and developmental factors. In-fact most commonly used illicit drugs like heroin (chitta), cocaine and cannabis (charas or ganja) has a well organises supply chain facilitated and rooted mainly in corruption. Heroin which is a finished product of opium originates in Afghanistan or Myanmar. Afghanistan has been a traditional cultivator of opium poppy. However, the production of opium in Afghanistan increased tremendously after US led invasion in 2001. According to UNODC, in a 14-year period from 2001 to 2014 the opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan increased from 20,000 acres to 553,500 acres. What happened was that the plant which was outlawed in Taliban rule now stared funding the Taliban insurgence against US backed government in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is said to produce 375 tonnes of Heroin every year from opium poppy. That’s significantly more than next two – Myanmar (50 tons) and Mexico (26 tonnes). From Afghanistan the heroin is smuggled through Iran (Golden Crescent) to the central Asia and beyond to Europe and US. A large portion is also smuggled via Pakistan to India, Africa, South-East Asia and Iran. Small portion is smuggled directly via central Asia (Azerbaijan) to Russia and Europe. Crossing all borders consumers are supplied with these illegal products by trucks, ships or small planes. In India heroin enters through Punjab border and more recently through the Jammu and Kashmir border neighbouring Pakistan. Opium and poppy husk is smuggled mainly through Rajasthan border.
Cannabis is an alkaloid derived from a plant of same name. Due to the hardy nature of the cannabis plant, marijuana is grown all across the world and is today the world’s most popular illegal drug with the highest level of availability. The demand for cannabis around the world, coupled with the drug’s relative ease of cultivation, makes the illicit cannabis trade one of the primary ways in which organized criminal groups finance many of their activities. All forms of cannabis are currently illegal in India, with some limited allowances made for some traditional preparations. In Indian society, common terms for cannabis preparations include charas (resin), ganja (flower), and bhang (seeds and leaves), with a milkshake made from bhang (thandai) being one of the most common licit usages in India.
After cannabis, cocaine is the most frequently used illegal drug globally. But unlike cannabis it is classified as a hard substance. Between 14 and 21 million people use the drug each year. Cocaine is produced from leaves of coca plant which is cultivated in Colombia, Bolivia and Peru. Historically Venezuela has been a path to the United States and Europe for illegal drugs originating in Colombia, through Central America, Mexico and Caribbean countries such as Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. Cocaine produced in Colombia and Bolivia increasingly has been shipped via West Africa (especially in Cape Verde, Mali, Benin, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Guinea-Bissau and Ghana). The money is often laundered in countries such as Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal. According to the Africa Economic Institute, the value of illicit drug smuggling in Guinea-Bissau is almost twice the value of the country’s GDP.
The drug trade accounts for about 1% of world’s financial revenue which amounts to a staggering US $ 1000 billion. Of these two major traded drugs are cocaine and heroin.The drug trade generates large amount of money that then need to be dealt with in some way. A range of methods are used by those involved in the market to integrate these financial flows into the licit economy to legitimize income and establish power and influence. Two main methods are money laundering and transfer of money outside country via smurfing or hawala.
Law enforcement struggles to penetrate and upend the world’s elaborate drug smuggling system. Add all the modes of transport, their checkpoints, all the drugs, all the world’s borders, and most importantly inherent corruption at each step. The picture become overwhelming. Removing one element of trafficking system is not enough. The profit is so high and the system so elaborate that someone can quickly step in to replace each part of it. What is needed is a strong political will to root out this menace by rigorous laws, effective policing and stringent law enforcement. Sadly, the drug trade has become a form of international warfare-and the things have to move on war footing if we are to save our future generation.
(The author is Consultant Psychiatrist & In-charge De-Addiction Services Govt Medical College, Jammu)
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