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Trump welcomes PM Modi's efforts against opium as India among US' list of ‘major illicit drug producing countries’
Trump welcomes PM Modi's efforts against opium as India among US' list of ‘major illicit drug producing countries’
Prefer HTon Google
United States President Donald Trump welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts against opium cultivation as India was among the US' list of “major illicit drug producing countries” on Wednesday.
“I welcome Prime Minister Modi and the Government of India’s efforts to address illicit opium poppy cultivation and bolster supply chain integrity. I look forward to continued cooperation through the United States-India Drug Policy Framework,” read an official statement by the US.
Along with India, Pakistan and China are also among the countries that the US has deemed as “major drug transit or major illicit drug producing” nations.
Countries named by US as ‘drug producing’
The US listed a total of 23 countries in the list, which includes, apart from the aforementioned three countries — Afghanistan, The Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Burma, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Laos, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.
However, the US clarified that mere inclusion in the list was not a reflection of the respective government's efforts against drugs. It said that the countries have been placed on the list “due to a combination of geographic, commercial, and economic factors that allow drugs or precursor chemicals to transit or be produced, even if a government has engaged in robust and diligent narcotics control and law enforcement measures”.
