Drug Trafficking as a Global Threat : A Comparative Study of International and Indian Legal Frameworks

Drug trafficking is the major issue faced by the health of the nation, the internal security of the nation, as well as the administration of justice in India. The issue is not confined to the modern era of organized crime in the country. It has long roots in the history of the nation that was shaped under the control of the British through their drug control policies in the pre- as well as post-independent periods. In the pre-independent period, narcotic drugs such as opium were established as commodities that generate revenue. The result was the creation of mass social problems associated with the extensive trafficking of drugs. Later in the post-independent period, the government in India adopted the ideology of prohibition of drug trafficking in compliance with international obligations. This research paper, based on the general topic of the thesis, adopts a methodology that is both doctrinal and analytical to investigate the history of the development of drug trafficking in India, the legal regime that governs control over narcotic drugs, and the current state of challenges faced by the enforcement agencies. The paper points out the weaknesses in the approach to the subject and the requirement to strike a balance between law enforcement and the requirements of control.