India

The Indian heroin mystery

India has seen in the last ten years a vast upsurge in the illicit cultivation of opium poppies. Despite only accounting for a small proportion of the global crop, the increase has been startling and rapid. The change has been so rapid that India wasn't been included as a major producer in the UNODC's 2010 World Drug Report despite the current figures showing India to now be on par with Pakistan in terms of opium production. Indian figures claim the last three years the known area of illicit poppy cultivation has increased from 737 hectares to 3084 hectares.

Training to tackle HIV in Indian prisons

HIV is a global and ongoing problem that is highly prevailing in developing countries. The risk of HIV infection is prevalent in prisons, due to overcrowding, neglect, lack of health-care and food. More importantly, the inmates are engaging in sexual behaviour, making them more vulnerable to receiving HIV. In Mizoram, India, about forty per cent of prison inmates are injecting drug users (IDU’s). HIV rapidly started to spread in Aizwal prison Mizoram's capital, as inmates were sharing needles to inject drugs. This prison, like other prisons have very little medical facilities.

India's rising exports: Ketamine

India has become a major ketamine source for South East Asian countries, with the number and quantity of seizures rising. Ketamine, while restricted for export, is not banned in India as in many of the countries it supplies. Ketamine does not as yet fall under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, under which offences can lead to a 10-year jail sentence.

Rising ketamine export from India

Chennai has emerged as a major transit point for the illegal export of ketamine to South East Asia, with around 100kg of the substance having been seized at Chennai airport in the past months alone. This Indian news report outlines current legal pitfalls as the number of seizures has doubled over the past year.

Opium cultivation increasing in India

An increase in illegal opium cultivation has brought new prosperity to parts of the Arunachal Pradesh region in eastern India. However this source of new wealth has also left a trail of addiction in its wake.

Some spirtual people take lots of drugs

These Nagas Babas are smoking marijuana as part of their religious life. All over India you come across these unusual looking people smoking marijuana and living ascetic lives.

The role that drugs play in human spirituality is so widespread. Alcohol is part of the fundamental worship of Roman Catholics. Smoking marijuana and drinking it in the form of bhang are a part of Hinduism. This is of course uncomfortable for many believers but many middle class pilgrims to centres of worship like Varanasi will imbibe a small amount of the drug as part of their pilgrimage.

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