With over one lakh drug overdose deaths being reported in the country last year alone, the United States has launched a global coalition of over a hundred countries to fight the menace of synthetic drugs, Robert Leventhal, Chief of Division of Global Policy and Programs Office of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, U.S. State Department, has said.
Mr. Leventhal was speaking to The Hindu on his visit to Kochi to deliver a talk at the 16th edition of cOcOn, an international hacking and cybersecurity conference organised by the Kerala Police.
“While plant-based drugs like heroin, cocaine, and cannabis continue to be a big issue, we are seeing more and more of synthetic drugs, including in the U.S. The challenge posed by synthetic drugs is likely to only grow. It is not just a criminal justice or security threat alone, but a public health threat and calls for multi-sector responses,” he said.
One of the challenges is that, unlike plant-based drugs, which are grown in particular geographical regions and moved across borders, synthetic drugs can be made almost anywhere. “In the U.S., we are investing more and more in prevention, education, and public health response as key components of our domestic anti-drug policy and we are sharing our experiences with others,” he added.
The global coalition was launched on July 7 as part of which U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted a virtual ministerial meeting. “The idea was to share the alarm, to galvanise action, and we zeroed in on three key areas to work together — focusing on manufacturing and trafficking not just of the finished products but chemicals that go into their making, better systems to produce data and sharing of information, and the public health element.”
“We will work closely with India. During the recently held G-20 meeting in India, the foreign ministers included in their ministerial declaration a recognition of the threat posed by synthetic drugs, which was the first time a G-20 declaration had such language. Besides, there is a U.S.-India bilateral engagement to fight the threat by working together in law enforcement, public health, and sharing of best practices,” said Mr. Leventhal.
He identified drug trafficking transactions over both the Darknet and Clearnet as a significant threat. It is a common mechanism for advertisement and sale of substances as it is easier compared to face-to-face transactions. It calls for working with private players, including shippers, chemical industry, Internet service providers, and e-commerce portals.
Capacity building remains an important element in fighting drug menace. As online platforms are being increasingly used, investigators are not able to track transactions, chase the symbols, and judges and prosecutors are not familiar with evaluating that kind of evidence and giving it appropriate weight.
Countries will have to focus on building their domestic capacities, while international cooperation for training and mentoring for capacity building is equally important. In the U.S., the State Department has a partnership with the Department of Justice called the Global Law Enforcement Network (GLEN), which offers training across the world.
Mr. Leventhal did not agree with the school of thought that legalising substance use was a way to counter the threat. “It is a risky strategy, not proven and hence is not something the U.S. prefers to pursue or advise other countries to pursue. It is tempting to think of such solutions considering the gravity of the threat, but we will have to focus on more practical approaches,” he said.
