India largest consumer of heroin in South Asia: UN

India is the largest consumer of heroin in South Asia and also appears to be producing its own opium poppy, according to the latest report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

The Press Trust of India quoted the UN report as saying that the information provided by the Indian government indicated that foreign-sourced opium has neither been seized, nor reported as trafficked into India.  “Consequently, such a consumption level (6 per cent of the estimated global total) would require the illicit cultivation of some 1,500-2,000 hectares of opium poppy on Indian territory,” it said.

Of the opium that is not converted into heroin, two-thirds is consumed in five countries: Iran (42 per cent), Afghanistan (7 per cent), Pakistan (7 per cent), India (6 per cent) and Russia (5 per cent).

The opium consumed in India does not appear to come from Afghanistan, which is the largest producer of opium.

Another possibility as a source of opium was the diversion from licit cultivation but the UN noted that this was unlikely because the limited size of licit cultivation and the Indian authorities claim to be in control of this production.

Opium is being increasingly consumed in India’s neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh and Nepal. Recent field research has confirmed the existence of (limited) illicit opium poppy cultivation in Nepal, as well as in the border areas of Bangladesh and India.  According to official reports from the governments of Nepal and Bangladesh, almost all the heroin consumed in those countries originates in India.

The UN recommended an in-depth heroin consumption and trafficking study to be carried out in India.

The report highlighted that the lack of accurate and current information on the prevalence of opiate use among the general population in India did not allow a determination of the number of users.

The report also noted that there was a rise in cannabis use in the region over the past year but the two most populated countries in Asia - China and India - did not have estimates of cannabis users among the general population.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 25^th, 2010.