U.S.-Mexico Bi-National Anti-Drug Conference Being Held May 31-June 1

(Conference taking place in Phoenix, Arizona)  (410)

Washington -- A U.S.-Mexico bi-national drug demand reduction
conference will be held May 31-June 1 in Phoenix, Arizona, announced
the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).

In a May 29 statement, ONDCP said top-level officials from the United
States and Mexico will hold discussions aimed at cooperative efforts
in confronting the drug threat.

Among those expected to attend are ONDCP Director Barry McCaffrey,
U.S. ambassador to Mexico Jeffrey Davidow, the Administrator of the
U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Nelba
Chavez, Mexican Attorney General Jorge Madrazo, and Mexican Secretary
of Health Jose Antonio Gonzales Fernandez.

ONDCP said the conference will provide a forum for government
officials, representatives from non-governmental organizations,
researchers, treatment experts, law enforcement agents, and young
people to share ideas and strategies.

McCaffrey said: "Five years ago it was rare for U.S. and Mexican
demand reduction experts to work together. Now it has become
recognized as necessary. This cooperation must continue, because there
is no alternative; the U.S. and Mexico are partners facing the same
drug threat. We share a 2,000-mile [3,200-kilometer] border -- the
world's busiest, with 350 million legal crossings each year. The
illicit drugs that pass through the border pose the greatest threat to
the youth in both of our countries."

ONDCP said bi-national efforts have included cooperation in the areas
of education, prevention, and law enforcement. ONDCP said it has
worked with the Mexican government in launching Spanish-language media
web sites targeting parents, teachers, and youths. Mexico also
participated in last December's National Assembly on Drugs, Alcohol
Abuse, and the Criminal Offender, which was hosted by the United
States. Other projects, said ONDCP, include the creation of a border
drug abuse prevention center with major Mexican participation, as well
as a bi-national drug abuse prevention alliance between San Diego,
California, and Tijuana, Mexico.

"We intend to continue in the positive direction in which we have been
moving," said McCaffrey. "The previous two bi-national conferences
held in El Paso and Tijuana have set in motion hundreds of
partnerships -- growing stronger over time. It is these partnerships
which will help to make our families safer and healthier on both sides
of the border."

(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
http://usinfo.state.gov)