There is a relatively low level of availability of and access to opioids for pain relief in all countries in the region. The Government of India continued to take substantial measures to address the situation, including through legislative changes that enabled the introduction of a simple and uniform regulatory regime in respect of opioids for pain relief (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Third Amendment) Rules, 2015). The countries of the region have continued their cooperation in drug abuse prevention and control matters under the umbrella of the Colombo Plan for Cooperative Economic and Social Development in Asia and the Pacific.