Synthetic drugs, organized crime, and India’s national security
A new era of global instability has intensified challenges in addressing the world’s drug problem, empowering organized crime groups and pushing drug use to historically high levels, says the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in the World Drug Report 2025, released on June 26, 2025, to coincide with the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
Three hundred sixteen million people used a drug (excluding alcohol and tobacco) in 2023, or six percent of the population aged between 15 and 64, compared to 5.2 percent of the population in 2013. With 244 million users, cannabis remains the most widely used drug, followed by opioids (61 million), amphetamines (30.7 million), cocaine (25 million), and ecstasy (21 million). New groups of vulnerable people fleeing hardship, instability, and conflict could cause these numbers to increase further, the report warns.
Production, seizures, and use of cocaine all hit new highs in 2023, making cocaine the world’s fastest-growing illicit drug market. Illegal production skyrocketed to 3,708 tons, nearly 34 percent more than in 2022. Global cocaine seizures reached a record high at 2,275, a 68 percent rise over 2019-2023. Use of cocaine, meanwhile, has grown from 17 million users in 2013 to 25 million users in 2023.
The synthetic drug market continues to expand globally, dominated by Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) like methamphetamine and amphetamine (including “Captagon”). Seizures of ATS reached a record high in 2023 and accounted for almost half of all global seizures of synthetic drugs, followed by synthetic opioids, including fentanyl.
India has been ranked at the 18th position out of 30 countries in the Global Drug Policy Index. India’s narcotics landscape is being fast reshaped and revamped by synthetic drugs, geo-strategic exposure, and technology-driven trafficking. Many young people use drugs to cope with the social and psychological challenges that they may experience during different phases of their development.
To make India drug-free by 2029, the government has requested all concerned stakeholders to prepare a three-year roadmap for the year 2026-2029, duly incorporating a time-bound review mechanism for its effective implementation with a whole-of-government approach to dismantle the entire drug network from source to distribution, and tackle drug abuse.
The traditional drug trade relies on land, climate, and geography—cultivating cannabis or refining coca leaves requires specific environmental conditions. Synthetic drugs, conversely, require only a laboratory and a supply of unregulated chemicals. This makes the threat highly mobile and notoriously difficult to monitor. Authorities warn that many nations are now dealing with the encroachment of New Psychoactive Substances, including fentanyl and methamphetamine, which are increasingly accessible through the dark web and unregulated online marketplaces.
The impact of this shift is not merely statistical; it is deeply human. The rising availability of these substances has been linked to a surge in youth addiction. The economic cost is staggering, not just in terms of enforcement and loss of productivity, but on the burden placed on an already strained public health system.
South Korea maintains one of the world’s strictest anti-drug policies, treating drug offenses with severe criminal penalties, including potential death sentences, though a moratorium is currently in place. The law prohibits citizens from using, possessing, or trafficking drugs even while abroad in countries where such substances are legal, with a heavy focus on banning.
The 69th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) was convened in Vienna, Austria, from 9–13 March 2026. The session brought together over 2,000 representatives from Member States, UN entities, and non-governmental organizations to address the rapidly evolving global drug crisis.
Key highlights from the 69th Session included:
- New substances scheduled: The Commission placed three new substances under international control under the International Drug Control Conventions. The CND officially placed three new psychoactive substances (NPS) under international control:
- N-Pyrrolidino isotonitazene (Isotonitazepyne)
- N-Desethyl etonitazene
- MDMB-FUBINACA
- Focus on Nitazenes: These decisions highlight an increasing concern over Nitazene analogues, which are highly potent synthetic opioids.
- Focus on emerging threats: Discussions highlighted the urgent need to address the proliferation of synthetic opioids and synthetic drugs, as well as the legalization of cannabis in various regions.
The growing trend to allow the use of cannabis for non-medical and non-scientific purposes contravenes the 1961 Single Convention and constitutes a significant challenge for the international community, the State Parties to the drug control conventions, and the implementation of these conventions. The Session underscored the principle of ‘pacta sunt servanda’ and strongly urged all Member States to comply with the legally binding provisions of the conventions and ensure their full and effective implementation.
The Session expressed increasing concern about the detrimental effects of the legalization of cannabis on public health and safety, as well as the increasing risks of initiation of drug abuse among children and youth. The legalization of cannabis creates conditions that could be exploited by transnational drug-related criminal networks and puts an additional burden on law enforcement authorities. The Sessions emphasized that the UN Conventions reflect the international community’s view that the most effective way to promote human rights in the field of drug control is to prevent the illicit diversion of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances while ensuring their use exclusively for medical and scientific purposes.
The drug phenomenon has become increasingly complex, dynamic, and interconnected. The European Union and its Member States address the world drug situation through an evidence-based, integrated, balanced, multidisciplinary, and human rights-centred approach based on international law, including international human rights law, and in compliance with the three international drug control conventions.
This approach is reflected in the new EU Drugs Strategy, which sets the EU priorities in five key areas:
- Preparedness against drug-related threats.
- Protecting public health.
- Improving security and protecting society.
- Addressing drug-related harm.
- Building strong partnerships.
The UNODC Early Warning Advisory has now recorded over 1,440 unique new psychoactive substances, highlighting the need for continuous monitoring actions taken at the 69th CND session.
One major concern is drug use among young people, which can be particularly damaging, resulting in higher rates of healthy years of life lost. On average, young people around the world use drugs at least as much as adults. Another notable challenge is the persistent difference in how drugs affect different people, including men and women, and the gaps in treatment available to them.
The UNODC’s World Drug Report highlights that India remains a major global hub for both drug consumption and trafficking. With millions of users, the country faces significant challenges from both traditional plant-based drugs (like cannabis and heroin) and a rapidly growing domestic synthetic drug market. India accounts for approximately half of all global opioid users. Domestically, cannabis and sedatives remain the most widely consumed substances, alongside rising rates of opioid and inhalant use.
Mirroring the global trends highlighted in the report, India’s synthetic drug market—particularly for Amphetamine-Type Stimulants (ATS), methamphetamine, and Mephedrone- has expanded exponentially. The country is heavily targeted by traffickers dealing in New Psychoactive Substances (NPS).
The World Drug Report underscores that India stands at a critical juncture in addressing its drug challenge, shaped by its large youth population, rapid urbanisation, and strategic geographic location near major trafficking routes. While rising seizures reflect improved enforcement, they also signal expanding supply chains and demand, particularly among adolescents and young adults. For India, the report concludes that law enforcement is insufficient. Sustainable progress requires early prevention, especially school and family-based interventions that build life skills, emotional resilience, and informed decision-making during adolescence.
On 23 February 2026, India unveiled PRAHAAR, its first comprehensive national counter-terrorism policy. PRAHAAR represents a new doctrinal consolidation of measures that had previously evolved in a fragmentary manner through legislation, executive practice, and ad hoc institutional coordination. PRAHAAR emerges against a complex scenario of sponsored cross-border terrorism, hybrid warfare, encrypted digital communication, drone-based logistics, and the convergence of organised crime with extremist violence. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on January 9, 2026, announced a crackdown on narcotics from March 31 with a three-year nationwide campaign to weed out the drug menace from the country. Addressing the 9th Apex-level meeting of the Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD), Mr. Shah said that as part of the collective campaign, a working methodology for all pillars against drug abuse will be defined, targets will be set, and time-bound reviews will be conducted. The central pillar of the 2026-2029 campaign is a “three-pronged” tactical approach involving a merciless crackdown on traffickers, a strategic push for demand reduction through awareness, and a humane, medical-first approach for harm reduction among users”.
Scholarly consensus indicates that India’s drug crisis is deeply entrenched and highly resistant to simple fixes. The crisis is compounded by socioeconomic hardship, porous borders, and a severe shortage of targeted rehabilitation facilities. Since structural economic issues remain, using purely punitive measures to stop the drug trade can become ineffective. As Russell Brand puts it, “The priority of any addict is to anaesthetize the pain of living to ease the passage of day with some purchased relief.”
Note:
1. Text in Blue points to additional data on the topic.
2. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.
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