India, US To Work Towards Broader, Deeper Bilateral Drug Policy Framework

Under this framework, both countries plan to expand cooperation and collaboration to disrupt the illicit production and international trafficking of illicit drugs.

India and the United States on Thursday agreed to work towards a broader and deeper bilateral Drug Policy Framework for the 21st Century, the Biden administration said after talks between officials from the two countries.

"What we've really worked on over the last couple of days is the three pillars. One is the counter-narcotics and the work to do to disrupt the networks of traffickers and producers of illicit drugs," Dr Rahul Gupta, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, told PTI in an interview after the conclusion of the fourth annual meeting of the US-India Counternarcotics Working Group (CNWG) here.

"The second one is to work on drug demand reduction and harm-reduction. That includes looking at not only how we help people who are suffering from addiction but prevent addiction in the first place, and at the same time work on things like workforce shortages," said Dr Gupta who is the first physician to serve in the role. The India delegation was led by Director-General of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Satya Narayan Pradhan.