London: India is used as a transit country, mostly for heroin consignments from Afghanistan, while cannabis is transported from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat and Mumbai, an international report on narcotics control has warned.

Noting that cannabis cultivation for the production of cannabis resin and herb and cannabis abuse are widespread in India and Nepal, the 2003 International Narcotics Control Board annual report launched in London said, "Seizures in 2002 indicate that large amounts of cannabis are transported from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat and Mumbai."

The report said, "India is also used as a transit country, mostly for heroin consignments from Afghanistan that are transported through India's border with Pakistan and, to a limited extent, for heroin consignments from Myanmar. It appears that most heroin consignments transported through India are destined for countries in Europe and, to a smaller extent, for the United States."

Illicit drug consignments continued to be smuggled by sea, mainly on small vessels, between the Southern coast of India and the Western coast of Sri Lanka. Colombo continued to be used as a transhipment point for illicit drug consignments that pass through India on their way to other countries, the report said.

The cannabis produced in India, as well as the cannabis smuggled out of Nepal and into India is mostly for domestic abuse.

The report also stated that the military interventions in Afghanistan and increased security measures on the border between India and Pakistan led to temporary disruptions in the smuggling of South West Asian heroin into India.

The report admitted that measures for the control of the domestic manufacture and distribution of pharmaceuticals containing narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances are not always strictly adhered to.

"In India, a legal framework, including strict licensing procedures, control provisions and severe penal sanctions, is in place but the Board urges the government of India to ensure effective implementation of those controls, in order to prevent the diversion and abuse of drugs."

At the same time, the report said India has significantly increased its measures for controlling manufacturers of psychotropic substances and retailers and prescriptions are required for all preparations containing controlled substances.

"However, the diversion of controlled substances from domestic distribution channels continues, supplying the illicit market in India as well as in other countries. In Bangladesh, there have been reports of the abuse by injection of buprenorphine smuggled out of India," it said.

Illicit opium poppy cultivation occurs in India in the states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and, above all, Arunachal Pradesh, in the North Eastern part of the country. Most of the opium that is illicitly cultivated in India is used to meet the needs of local addicts," it said.

PTI