United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime & Opium poppy

Why is in news? Myanmar opium farming booming after coup, says UN’s drug office

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime:

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime is a United Nations office that was established in 1997 as the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention by combining the United Nations International Drug Control Program (UNDCP) and the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Division in the United Nations Office at Vienna and was renamed the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in 2002.

The agency's focus is the trafficking in and abuse of illicit drugs, crime prevention and criminal justice, international terrorism, and political corruption.

It is a member of the United Nations Development Group.

Headquarter: Vienna, Austria

The World Drug Report is a yearly publication that presents a comprehensive assessment of the international drug problem, with detailed information on the illicit drug situation.

It provides estimates and information on trends in the production, trafficking and use of opium/heroin, coca/cocaine, cannabis and amphetamine-type stimulants.

Through the World Drug Report, UNODC aims to enhance member states' understanding of global illicit drug trends and increase their awareness of the need for the more systematic collection and reporting of data relating to illicit drugs.

Opium:

Scientific Name: Papaver somniferum

It is a medicinal herb that produces a variety of alkaloids such as morphine, codeine, etc. and is best known as a pain reliever in modern medicine.

It is used for a range of treatments, from post-operative pain management and palliative care for terminal cancer patients to treating accident-related trauma and chronic pain syndromes.

Under the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (1961), India is among the 12 countries in the world allowed to grow opium poppy for medicinal use.

However, India is the only nation allowed to extract gum opium, in which skilled workers manually extract the latex that contains 70% of the morphine synthesised by the plant by lancing its flower-bearing pod.

Countries such as Australia, France, China and Turkey, which grow legal opium, use a CPS method.

After independence, the control over cultivation and manufacture of opium became responsibility of the Central Government with effect from April, 1950.

At present the Narcotics Commissioner along with the subordinates exercises all powers and performs all functions relating to superintendence of the cultivation of the opium poppy and production of opium.

The Commissioner derives this power from the Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances Act 1985 and Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances Rules, 1985.

License for manufacture of certain types of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances as well as permits for export and import of narcotic drugs, psychotropic and controlled substances are issued with the approval and permission of the Narcotics Commissioner.

At present these tracts are confined to three States,viz. Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh and Chittorgarh and Jhalawar Districts of Rajasthan constitute about 80% of the total area cultivated.

India is one of the few countries internationally permitted (by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime ) to cultivate opium poppy for export.