ONDCP Director Dr. Rahul Gupta talks to Prof. Ishan Shivanand about the US-India strategic partnership to tackle drug overdose

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

During a podcast discussion with Prof. Ishan Shivanand, Dr. Rahul Gupta, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy expands on the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drugs and the strategic partnership between India and the US to beat the overdose epidemic.

Overdose of synthetic drugs is imposing a serious public health emergency.

Misuse of widely available illicit opioid drugs like Fentanyl is claiming lives every few minutes worldwide.

Their unregulated usage affects parts of the brain which regulate breathing, leading to loss of consciousness, and ultimately, life.

And among the biggest challenges to prevent this issue is their ridiculously easy availability, even in the remotest of regions.

Other factors contributing to the spread include prescription opioid misuse, limited harm reduction services, inadequate monitoring or reporting, and even stigma and isolation.

But why do people give in to overdose in the first place? And what are our nations doing to solve it?

In a podcast conversation with Prof. Ishan Shivanand, Founder of Yoga of Immortals, an evidence-based mental resilience meditative intervention, Dr. Rahul Gupta, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, sheds light on the ground reality of the concern.

As per Dr. Gupta, in the recent 5-7 years, significant changes have happened in the drug crisis.

Dr. Gupta comments*, “It is not only about how the drugs are bought, sold and consumed, but also how they are created and manufactured….Today, all one needs is a closet, a chemistry lab-size set, and the internet to