Drug Control

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13 March 2007
U.S. Calls for Continued International Cooperation in Narcotics

By Lea Terhune
USINFO Staff Writer

Washington – While praising the results of past international cooperation, the United States has called for continued, careful balancing of the legal availability of drugs for medical use and the prevention of drug abuse and narcotics trafficking.

“This difficult challenge of meeting legitimate needs while eliminating synthetic drug production warrants a strong system of both international cooperation and national regulation for effective precursor chemical control,” U.S. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Thomas Schweich said March 12 in Vienna, Austria, at the meeting of the 50th United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND).

He said the member states of the CND are obliged to “ensure that we maintain this balance.”

Schweich emphasized that legalizing illicit opium and coca crops would hamper enforcement of anti-narcotics laws. “[W]e believe that an effort to legalize the massive Afghan opium crop, or expand the already excessive areas of licit coca cultivation in South America, would result in unprecedented levels of diversion, with seriously negative consequences for all of us.” (See related article.)

He said progress in dismantling drug-trafficking networks and preventing illegal cultivation has shown positive results in the United States: “[W]e are ... pleased to report that drug consumption is considerably down amongst youth in our country -- by 23 percent.”

The control of precursor chemicals such as ephidrene and psudoephedrine is critical and challenging at a time when the abuse of synthetic drugs is spreading globally. These chemicals, which are used legitimately to bring relief for respiratory ailments, are also chief components of highly addictive and destructive illegal synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine.

In the United States, the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 controls the sale of over-the-counter drugs that contain precursor chemicals. It has reduced dramatically the availability and diversion of the chemicals to criminals while keeping the drugs available for medical use.

Schweich praised international efforts following the passage of CND resolutions to strengthen drug-control systems. By ascertaining their domestic, legitimate medical drug requirements and voluntarily sharing the information with the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), 82 countries have provided a baseline for legitimate precursor chemical imports and exports. This knowledge enables authorities to monitor imports more effectively.

“[M]any nations are taking strong actions,” Schweich said. He singled out Mexico, commending the government for “using estimates of its legitimate requirements of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine to cut its imports significantly.” (See related article.)

“In another instance, the INCB reports that some governments cancelled shipments of precursor chemicals because the proposed importation amount was hundreds of times greater than that particular country's declared legitimate needs. The United States applauds these efforts and those of other countries to tighten domestic controls of precursors,” he said.

INCB’s Project Prism task force has facilitated information-sharing through international law enforcement channels and collaborative operations. “Over the past year, we have seen the Project Prism task force increase its effectiveness and the INCB become more able to identify and prevent the diversion of controlled chemicals,” Schweich said, adding that its work resulted in the seizure of 113,133 kilograms of precursor chemicals “which otherwise would have made their way into the market for illicit use and consumption.”

Because of international cooperation, he said, more people around the world have access to effective drug treatment and prevention programs. Schweich noted that the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for HIV/AIDS Relief is bolstering global HIV/AIDS efforts by contributing $15 billion over five years. “However, the United States remains concerned that too many nations rely on needle distribution for managing intravenous-drug-use-related problems, rather than a comprehensive approach, including drug treatment, HIV/AIDS treatment and care,” Schweich said.

To deliver supplies effectively to legitimate pharmaceutical companies while preventing traffickers from diverting these substances to an illegal market, cooperation is essential. “We need each other to fight organizations that are adaptable, ruthless, and determined. Problems of the future have to be on the table today,” he said.

The U.N. Commission on Narcotic Drugs, part of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, analyzes global drug problems to formulate policies that combat international narcotics trafficking and drug abuse. The commission has 53 members who meet annually to develop and adopt policies according to current needs.

More information on the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime is available on the United Nations Web site.

For more information on U.S. policy, see the full text of the State Department’s 2006 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, an annual report to Congress that describes the efforts of key countries to attack all aspects of the international drug trade in calendar year 2005.

(USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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