23 November 2001

Byliner: "A Bilateral Battle Against Addiction"

Acting ONDCP chief lauds U.S.-Mexico partnership against illicit drugs

The following op-ed piece ("A Bilateral Battle Against Addiction," by Edward H. Jurith) appeared on Sunday, November 18, in The San Diego Union-Tribune. It is in the public domain; no copyright or republication restrictions.

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"A Bilateral Battle Against Addiction"

[Note: The author is acting director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.]

The events of Sept. 11 demonstrate dramatically that international cooperation is more important than ever for the safety of the citizens of the United States and all nations. This month the United States and Mexico pulled together to address one of the most insidious and pervasive threats to global welfare: substance abuse.

In Mexico City, high-level officials from both countries gathered at the fourth annual Binational Drug Demand-Reduction Conference to seek effective ways to advance our alliance against drug abuse. The understanding, goodwill, cooperation and concrete outcomes resulting from this conference demonstrate what can result when suspicion and blame are set aside for the common good.

Drug use is now a problem not only for the United States and Mexico, but for industrial and developing economies around the globe. Reports by the United Nations suggest Americans represent less than 10 percent of the world's heroin users and less than 15 percent of marijuana users.

Anecdotal evidence indicates that cocaine consumption trends in Latin America and Europe are rising rapidly. At the present rate of growth, cocaine use in Europe is increasing faster than it did in the United States in the late 1970s, prior to the worst years of our cocaine epidemic.

Mexico is confronting the threat openly and aggressively, but many countries, including those in the developed world, either fail to recognize the threat or are unprepared to deal with it, while producers in the Andean region are glad to oblige growing demand.

Despite laudable Andean and international supply-reduction efforts and decreased U.S. consumption, the global threat of illicit drugs is expanding throughout geographic regions and social classes. It threatens societies with addiction, disease and crime. It threatens political institutions with violence and corruption.

In response to these challenges and as an international model, the United States and Mexico brought together leading experts in the fields of prevention, treatment and scientific research to find common ground and solutions to these serious problems. Together we have identified collective needs in addressing drug control issues and ways the United States and Mexico can collaborate to benefit from one another's experience and expertise.

These efforts make mutual learning possible in the areas of prevention and treatment of alcohol and drug dependence. This bilateral perspective is giving scientists and practitioners working with drug abusers an opportunity to gain insight and a better understanding of the dynamics, problems and needs with respect to treatment and prevention.

The bilateral approach is yielding a number of successes. While the United States is spending more than $5.5 billion a year on demand reduction activities and research, Mexico spent more than $770 million in 1999 to combat drug trafficking -- a large percentage of its overall federal budget. With the support of the Office of National Drug Control Policy and our Mexican counterpart, the National Council on Addictions, anti-drug coalitions on both sides of the border are working to prevent and reduce the incidence of American teens travelling to border towns in Mexico to buy drugs and alcohol.

As a result of this year's conference, we are establishing binational research agendas and electronic communications networks to improve access to the most up-to-date prevention, treatment and survey data. This vital information will build on already-existing national surveys, so our countries can make effective drug treatment more readily available to both our populations.

The United States and Mexico not only share a border and cultural heritage, but a common objective to protect our youth and future generations from the debilitating effects of substance abuse. It is time the international community recognizes that we are all drug-consuming nations.

Addiction is a global epidemic. Collaboration with countries throughout the world on a balanced counter-drug strategy, like the partnership between the United States and Mexico, is essential.

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