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President Donald Trump has declared drug cartels to be unlawful combatants and says the United States is now in an "armed conflict with them, according to a Trump administration memo obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday, following recent US strikes on boats in the Caribbean. The memo appears to represent an extraordinary assertion of presidential war powers, with Trump effectively declaring that trafficking of drugs into the United States amounts to armed conflict requiring the use of military force a new rationale for past and future actions. "The President determined that the United States is in a non-international armed conflict with these designated terrorist organisations," the memo says. Trump directed the Pentagon to "conduct operations against them pursuant to the law of armed conflict." "The United States has now reached a critical point where we must use force in self-defence and defence of others against the ongoing attacks by these designated terrorist ...
The Supreme Court on Monday expressed concern over the illicit drugs trade substance abuse in the country and said there was a need to rehabilitate the youngsters affected instead of demonising them. A bench of Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice N Kotiswar Singh said drug abuse should not be considered a taboo but an open discussion was required to tackle the issue. "We note our disquiet regarding substance abuse in India. Profits are being used to support terrorism and leading to violence. Academic pressure and family disturbances are also leading to the same, which is leading to long-term social and economic instability. Peer pressure, stress from academics and easy availability of drugs is a trigger and adolescents are also using it as emotional escapism," the bench said. "The youth must not follow those who resort to drug abuse and victims of substance abuse are not only limited to the downtrodden but cuts across economic barriers. We need not demonise the ones who have resorted
Highlighting the increase in drug consumption in India in recent years, Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera criticised the Union Home Ministry for making bold claims about controlling drugs in the country.Taking to social media platform 'X' on Saturday, Pawan Khera tweeted, "Mr. @HMOIndia, in June 2023, you had said, 'The Modi government will root out drugs from India; not allow smuggling of narcotics through the country.' But Sanjay Kumar Singh, Deputy DG at Narcotics Control Bureau, claims that 'The consumption of drugs among the youth is increasing, and there are roughly around 10 crore Indians who consume drugs. It used to be around 2 crore, 15 years ago.'""The DRI Report, 2021-22, mentions the seizure of 2,889 kg of heroin at Mundra Port, owned by Adani Port & SEZ (worth Rs21,000 crore), the highest ever so far in the world. In September 2020, heroin worth Rs9,000 crore was seized from the same port. Drug traffickers reportedly had links with Pakistani terror outfits," Khera
The NITI Aayog has recommended that Indian standards of drug regulation should be on par with global standards as well as aligned with the International Council for Harmonisation guidelines while promoting ease of doing business. The apex public policy think tank of the central government also suggested creating a separate authority to regulate medical devices in the country which is currently being monitored by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI). The recommendations have been made during the ongoing inter ministerial consultation on the New Drugs, Medical Devices and Cosmetics Bill, 2023. The draft New Drugs, Medical Devices and Cosmetics Bill, 2023, which seeks to replace the existing Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940, was put up on public domain in July last year seeking feedback from stakeholders. It has been revised and sent for inter-ministerial consultation. On clinical trials, the NITI Aayog said the draft bill should reflect the intent of overcoming the hesitancy
Federal authorities announced a blitz of arrests and indictments Wednesday against more than 100 people charged with gun and drug crimes in three US states. The flurry of charges from the Justice Department in Georgia, West Virginia and New York comes as federal officials work to combat an uptick in violent crime, particularly involving guns. The Biden administration has tried to showcase federal, state and local efforts to get guns and repeat shooters off the streets. Federal prosecutors and FBI agents were particularly busy in southern Georgia, where an indictment was unsealed charging 76 people with involvement in what authorities called a gang-related network that distributed methamphetamine, fentanyl and other illegal drugs. Authorities called it the largest indictment ever filed in the 43-county Southern District of Georgia. The FBI sent SWAT teams and agents from Atlanta and neighbouring South Carolina and Florida Wednesday to help round up more than 30 suspects in coastal ..