INCB Report 2018 urges governments to consider abolishing death penalty for drug-related offences                                                                                                                                                                                                     

New Delhi/March 05, 2019: Expressing concern over extrajudicial acts of violence against people suspected of drug-related activities, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) has appealed to governments of South Asia to address drug-related crimes through formal criminal justice responses with respect for human rights, in its Annual Report of 2018. The report was released by the UNODC Regional Office for South Asia, in collaboration with the INCB, today in New Delhi, coinciding with the global launch of the report in Vienna. To read the INCB Report of 2018, click here.

INCB Member Mrs. Jagjit Pavadia presented the key findings of the report, in the presence of representatives from foreign missions, government representatives, civil society, media and academia. Mr. Sergey Kapinos, Representative, UNODC Regional Office for South Asia, Mr. Rajesh Nandan Srivastava, Deputy Director General, Narcotics Control Bureau, Government of India, Mr. DP Dash, Principal Director General, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Government of India, Dr. Rakesh Chadda, Chief, National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC), AIIMS, Dr. Atul Ambekar, Professor, National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC), AIIMS and Mr. G Charanjit Sharma, Technical Expert, India HIV/AIDS Alliance also shared their views on the report.

Sharing the key findings from the report, Mrs. Jagjit Pavadia, Member, INCB, revealed that record levels of cannabis herb were seized in 2017 in India (more than 350 tons) and Bangladesh (close to 70 tons), with cannabis herb remaining the drug most frequently cultivated, trafficked and abused across the region. "Cannabis remains the most trafficked and abused drug in South Asia," she asserted.

The report also looks in detail at the risks and benefits of medical and scientific use of cannabis and cannabinoids and the impact of "recreational" use. It finds that poorly regulated medical cannabis programmes, that are not run in accordance with the drug control conventions, can result in diversion to non-medical use and adversely affect public health. "Recreational use of cannabis remains a major global health challenge," Ms. Pavadia added.

  Mr. DP Dash highlighted the impact of India's "cross law enforcement model" in addressing the drugs problem and stated, "One recommendation I would like to leave here is that the controlled delivery mechanism has to be broad based, encompassing all law enforcement agencies so that we can address and reach the persons from the beginning to the end of the supply chain."

"Opiates are our number one problem as far as drug trafficking is concerned," Mr. Srivastava said while calling for collective efforts to address the drugs problem from the health as well as law enforcement perspectives.

He also highlighted an increasing trend of smuggling of heroin and other drugs in Jammu and Kashmir.

The report notes significant increases in seizures of opiates, especially illicitly produced heroin, from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Codeine-based cough syrups and tramadol used for non-medical purposes were also seized in large quantities in 2017, with India consistently named as the main origin country for tramadol seized worldwide since 2011.

In 2017, Bangladesh seized 3.6 tons of methamphetamine ("yaba"), representing the highest quantity of the drug seized in the past eight years, a tenfold increase compared to the year before, the report reveals.

Asserting UNODC's readiness to assist governments in making the region safer and healthier for all, Mr. Sergey Kapinos said, "South Asia remains a target for traffickers smuggling illicitly produced opiates from Afghanistan to Europe and North America along the alternate Southern Route. In addition, there is a growing evidence of the use of the Internet as a marketplace for drugs and precursors, with mail or precursors being used for delivery."

He added, "Addressing the drug problem requires a greater focus on health and well-being of the people. UNODC adopts a balanced, comprehensive and multi-disciplinary approach that puts people at the centre of the response. We also need better cross-border cooperation and intelligence-sharing to dismantle drug supply networks."

Providing the health perspective, Professor Rakesh Chadda expressed concern over the impact on patients.

"Though an increasing number of opioids with medicinal properties have been included under the restricted list of drugs to curtail illicit use, this has also led to the non-availability of such drugs for genuine patients with intractable pain," he underscored.

Reflecting on the findings of latest National Survey on Extent and Pattern of Substance Use in India, conducted by NDDTC, AIIMS in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Justice, Government of India, Dr. Atul Ambekar said, "There is a significant treatment gap in India. The country needs greater investments in the healthcare sector to enable better treatment and rehabilitation of drug users."

Mr. G Charanjit Sharma asserted, "We must humanise the problem of drug use to ensure that we can get positive outcomes. Our focus must be on support and not punish the drug user."

The drug control challenges facing Afghanistan are also highlighted in the report. It notes that there have been significant increases in illicit opium production up to 2017, when the size of illicit opiate economy surpassed the value of total national licit exports.

Calling for greater international cooperation, Mr. Viroj Sumyai, INCB President, said in Vienna: "Today's drug control challenges may seem daunting, but such challenges have been successfully overcome through cooperative efforts and political will. That same spirit and commitment are needed today."

 

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Key Findings for South Asia: INCB Annual Report 2018

Challenges : South Asia continues to face a multitude of drug control challenges that are exacerbated, in part, by its geographical location between the two main illicit opiate-producing and trafficking regions of the world, namely the Golden Triangle and the Golden Crescent. South Asia remains a target for traffickers smuggling illicitly produced opiates from Afghanistan to Europe and North America along the "alternate" southern route.

Drug Seizures : record levels of cannabis herb were seized in 2017 in India (more than 350 tons) and Bangladesh (close to 70 tons), with cannabis herb remaining the drug most frequently cultivated, trafficked and abused across the region. Significant increases in seizures of opiates, in particular illicitly produced heroin, were also registered in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In India, the area under illicit opium poppy cultivation in 2017 exceeded the area under licit cultivation in the same crop year. Codeine-based cough syrups and tramadol used for non-medical purposes were also seized in large quantities in 2017, with India consistently named as the main origin country for tramadol seized worldwide since 2011.

Internet and Drug Trafficking : There is also growing evidence of an emerging modus operandi of drug trafficking in the region that involves the use of the Internet as a marketplace for drugs and precursors, with mail or courier services being used for delivery. However, little is known about the extent of regulations applicable to Internet pharmacies and business-to-business platforms acting as intermediaries between buyers and sellers (by offering access to various substances that may be abused) or about the role that express courier service providers play in the cross-border movement of controlled and non-scheduled substances.

Severe punishment for drug-related offences : Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India were reported to be considering expanding the application of the death penalty for drug-related offences despite the long-established de facto abolitionist stance each Government has taken in the past. INCB encourages all States that retain the death penalty for drug-related offences to commute sentences that have already been handed down and to consider abolishing the death sentence for drug-related offences.

Substances of Concern : Opiates, cannabis and amphetamine-type stimulants remain the main substances of concern in the region, with record levels of cannabis herb seized in Bangladesh and India during 2017. There has been a thirtyfold increase in seizures of methamphetamine pills (known as "yaba" in countries in South Asia) in Bangladesh since 2011, and the amounts of illicitly produced opiates seized throughout the region have been increasing.

 

To read the 2018 INCB Annual Report, visit: https://www.incb.org/incb/en/publications/annual-reports/annual-report.html