<p>A major share of heroin in South Asian market went to India's local criminal groups, a UN annual drug report said today.<br /><br />"In 2009, the total value of the South Asian heroin estimated at USD 1.9 billion – mostly went to Indian local criminal groups", the World Drug Report 2011 produced by UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said.<br /><br />"With a value of USD 1.4 billion, the biggest market is in India," it said.<br />In Asia, the vast majority of heroin consumption occurred in China, Pakistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran and India.<br /><br />The report said that South Asia was an important consumption and transit point for Afghan heroin in 2009.<br /><br />The report, however, pointed out that domestically produced heroin and opium is half of the consumption in India.<br /><br />"Although the majority of users in India use Indian heroin, drug traffickers prefer to export Afghan heroin due to its higher purity," it said.<br /><br />The report said while opium cultivation in Afghanistan remained stable, the global trend was mainly driven by increases in Myanmar, where cultivation rose by some 20 per cent from 2009.<br /><br />Consequently, opium production in Myanmar increased from 5 per cent of global production in 2007 to 12 per cent in 2010.<br /><br />Globally, UNODC estimates that, in 2009, between 149 and 272 million people, or 3.3 per cent to 6.1 per cent of the population aged 15-64, used illicit substances at least once in the previous year.<br /><br />Cannabis is by far the most widely used illicit drug type, consumed by between 125 and 203 million people worldwide in 2009.<br /><br />"The countries most often identified as sources by the cannabis resin (hash) consumer markets are Morocco, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Nepal/India.<br /><br />The report found that while global markets for cocaine, heroin and cannabis declined or remained stable, the production and abuse of prescription opioid drugs and new synthetic drugs rose.</p>
<p>A major share of heroin in South Asian market went to India's local criminal groups, a UN annual drug report said today.<br /><br />"In 2009, the total value of the South Asian heroin estimated at USD 1.9 billion – mostly went to Indian local criminal groups", the World Drug Report 2011 produced by UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said.<br /><br />"With a value of USD 1.4 billion, the biggest market is in India," it said.<br />In Asia, the vast majority of heroin consumption occurred in China, Pakistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran and India.<br /><br />The report said that South Asia was an important consumption and transit point for Afghan heroin in 2009.<br /><br />The report, however, pointed out that domestically produced heroin and opium is half of the consumption in India.<br /><br />"Although the majority of users in India use Indian heroin, drug traffickers prefer to export Afghan heroin due to its higher purity," it said.<br /><br />The report said while opium cultivation in Afghanistan remained stable, the global trend was mainly driven by increases in Myanmar, where cultivation rose by some 20 per cent from 2009.<br /><br />Consequently, opium production in Myanmar increased from 5 per cent of global production in 2007 to 12 per cent in 2010.<br /><br />Globally, UNODC estimates that, in 2009, between 149 and 272 million people, or 3.3 per cent to 6.1 per cent of the population aged 15-64, used illicit substances at least once in the previous year.<br /><br />Cannabis is by far the most widely used illicit drug type, consumed by between 125 and 203 million people worldwide in 2009.<br /><br />"The countries most often identified as sources by the cannabis resin (hash) consumer markets are Morocco, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Nepal/India.<br /><br />The report found that while global markets for cocaine, heroin and cannabis declined or remained stable, the production and abuse of prescription opioid drugs and new synthetic drugs rose.</p>