Widespread abuse of pharmaceutical preparations containing narcotic drugs such as codeine was found.
It’s high time parents kept an eye on children’s social networking communication as India has emerged a major source for illegal online drug trade.
The World Drug Report 2009, released by Vienna-based International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) on Wednesday, said India has of late become a hub of drugs sold through illegal internet pharmacies.
The report pointed out stringent measures to prevent the use of the Internet to divert controlled substances. Orders placed with such pharmacies are often dispatched to buyers abroad using courier or postal services. Courier and postal services have become a common means of smuggling drugs out of India.
A range of substances under international control have been detected by authorities in parcels transported by courier or post.
In recent years, heroin and diazepam have been most frequently found in seized parcels, while morphine, cannabis herb, cannabis resin, ephedrine and pseudoephedrine have been seized occasionally.
According to the report, drug traffickers were increasingly using social networking sites to recruit youngsters to work as ‘mules’ or peddlers in their countries. The traffickers are believed to be targeting single unemployed women aged 20-30 who do not have a criminal record. They also target those in clerical or sales jobs to escape suspicion.
The report said India had 72.2 million drug addicts, a figure that minister for social justice and empowerment Mukul Wasnik contested. “The INCB data does not provide much insight. We are commissioning a survey through the National Sample Survey Organisation to arrive at a right figure,” Wasnik said.
Widespread abuse of pharmaceutical preparations containing narcotic drugs such as codeine was found, which are smuggled from India to Bangladesh. Codeine, used in cough syrups and painkillers, is heavily used by students.
In India, pharmaceutical preparations containing dextropropoxyphene (analgesic) are used by persons who inject drugs into their bodies. Such preparations are used as alternatives to heroin as they are cheaper and easily available.
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