Drug Trafficking is a trade of illicit drugs involving cultivation, manufacturer, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. The process often used airports and commercial aircraft as channel for transportation of smuggled drug accross borders.

Drugs are chemicals or substances that change the way our bodies work. Some are prescribed by the physician while the others have no medical use or benefits.

Usually taken by swallowing, inhaling or injecting abused drugs find their way into the bloodstream which acts as channel for transportation finally to the brain, where these drugs mat intensify or dull the senses, change how alert or sleepy people feel and sometimes decrease the physical pain, which eventually leads to the inability of our brain to make healthy choices leading to dangerous situations.

Based on the requirement drugs are majorly segregated inot sedatives, analgesics, tranquilizers, Opioids and narcotics.

Drug Addiction When the person’s body leads to inability to control the use of a legal or illegal drug or medicine.

Impact of Drug Abuse:

1. Strained HealthCare System:

Drug abuse may lead to specialized treatment, sometimes involving death, contraction of illnesses and prolonged stays at hospitals.The consequences of illicit drug use are widespread, causing permanent physical and emotional damage to users and negatively impacting their families, coworkers, and many others with whom they have contact. Drug use negatively impacts a user’s health, often leading to sickness and disease. In many cases, users die prematurely from drug overdoses or other drug-associated illnesses .

2.An overburdened justice system :

The consequences of illicit drug use impact the entire criminal justice system, taxing resources at each stage of the arrest, adjudication, incarceration, and post-release supervision process.

3. Lost productivity:

Premature mortality, illness, injury leading to incapacitation, and imprisonment all serve to directly reduce national productivity. Public financial resources expended in the areas of health care and criminal justice as a result of illegal drug trafficking and use are resources that would otherwise be available for other policy initiatives.Individuals who are employed but have chronic absenteeism resulting from illicit drug use also accrue substantial lost productivity.

4. Environmental destruction:

Impact on the Environment

The environmental impact of illicit drugs is largely the result of outdoor cannabis cultivation and methamphetamine production. Many of the chemicals used to produce methamphetamine are flammable, and the improper storage, use, and disposal of such chemicals that are typical among methamphetamine producers often lead to fires and explosions at laboratories.

Places in India from where Drug Trafficking takes place:

1. Myanmar, India’s gateway to Southeast Asia and shares maritime border with northeastern states of India such as Nagaland, Mizoram,Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, is a state infamous due to it’s hefty drug trafficking poses a serious challenge to India’s security due to the illicit flow of drugs from Myanmar. Myanmar is the second largest producer of opium poppy and the leading manufacturer of synthetic drugs forms the Golden Triangle along with Thailand and Laos. India has become one of the major markets for these drugs.

2. Nepal is also one of the major smuggling point of Hashish in India across land borders in the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

3. Drug Trafficking through sea routes constitutes around 70% of the total illegal drugs smuggled in India. These maritime sea routes are used by drug syndicates based in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Problems of National Security faced by India:

The two way illegal flow of these drugs and raw chemicals not only violates India’s borders, but also poses a major threat to national security. The network formed between drug traffickers, organised criminal network and terrorist has created a force powerful enough to cause instability in the country.

Challenges faced by India in curbing drug trafficking:

1. Technological Advancements Drug traffickers are increasingly using technology to bluff law enforcement agencies. For instance use of dark net to sell drugs, unreachable internet based technology for the communication and also drones to transport drugs from across the borders.

2. Insufficient Law Enforcement despite efforts to improve law enforcement there is a perceived lack of coordination among different agencies leading to failure of effectively tackle the issue.

3.Lack of Social Awareness Indian society is stigmatized often on drug abuse and addiction. There is a need to create more awareness and promote preventive measures, need to develop more rehabilitation facilities to cater to needs of large number of people struggling with addiction.

4. Political Interference Political interference often hampers the work of law enforcement agencies and hinders their ability to tackle drug trafficking effectively.