By SHUBHAJIT Chakraborty
New Delhi, March 2 – According to the data presented by International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), India had become a major threat of sourcing shady online drug trade. The board had warned Indian government to take tough measures to curb the online trafficking.
According to the report released by the Vienna-based INCB, revealed that drug addicts in India rose to 72.2 million, a figure that greatly differs from government statistics of 30 million. The report had pointed out that India was the major country of sourcing illegal online drugs trading.
Drug traffickers use the social networking sites to recruit young people to work as “mules” or peddlers in their countries. The report also suggested the harmful affect of drugs and increasing HIV cases in the country.
“In India the prevalence of HIV infection among injecting drug users in 2006 was estimated at a national average of 8.71 per cent, compared with 0.36 per cent in the general adult population,” the survey said.
“We have decided to bring in a new national policy on prevention of alcoholism and substance abuse. It will deal with all problems related to drug abuse and also include a provision for rehabilitation of victims,” said an official with the social justice ministry.
The government has decided to educate youngsters from failing prey to drugs and set to bring awareness programs in schools and colleges. Said a source in ministry.
The sources said the ministry would set up more drug de-addiction centres across the country. “We hope these centres, which would offer both treatment and counselling, could play a key role in dealing with drug abuse,” the official said.
In recent years the most prevalent drugs used in India and smuggled into neighboring countries are heroin, diazepam, pethidine, codeine-based cough and cannabis resin.
