In Terms Of Users, India One Of The World's Largest Opiate Market, Says UN Report

According to the UN report, around 284 million people, aged 15-64 years, used drugs worldwide in 2020, 26 per cent increase over the previous decade.

India is one of the world's single largest opiate markets in terms of users and likely to be vulnerable to increased supply as there are already signs that an intensification of trafficking in opiates originating in Afghanistan may be taking place, according to a new report.

According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime's (UNODC) World Drug Report 2022 released on Monday, around 284 million people, aged 15-64 years, used drugs worldwide in 2020, a 26 per cent increase over the previous decade.

It also said that 11.2 million people worldwide were injecting drugs. "India is one of the world's single largest opiate markets in terms of users and would likely be vulnerable to increased supply, as there are already signs that an intensification of trafficking in opiates originating in Afghanistan may be taking place eastwards, in addition to southwards and westwards along the traditional Balkan route," the report said. "Consequences could range from expanded use to increased levels of trafficking and associated organised crime. In addition, there is the question of whether the increased availability of opiates could bring an increased number of heroin overdoses and whether increased purity could affect the harm posed by heroin use," it said.

However, the data on the number of drug users in India was not given.