Narcotics - International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State


Global Issues	Updated 22 April 2002

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"The Hidden Harm of Drugs,"
by ONDCP Director John Walters

Says production of illegal drugs is taking
a toll on world's ecosystem

We know that illegal drugs do a great deal of harm -- to our bodies, our minds, and our communities. But there's another harm associated with illegal drugs that more and more Americans are beginning to understand: the billions of dollars Americans spend on drugs each year are taking a horrific toll on some of the most fragile and diverse eco-systems on the planet.

Consider the Andes and Amazonian regions of South America. In countries such as Colombia and Peru, astonishing environmental riches abound. The Huallaga region of Peru may be the world's richest in all forms of fauna, hosting record numbers of species among butterflies, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.

Colombia contains roughly 10 percent of the Earth's biodiversity, second only to Brazil.

But that diversity is rapidly being destroyed. Environmental journalist Stephanie Joyce, reporting in International Wildlife, described the scenes she had witnessed in the Andean region: "a devastated landscape ... an accordion of scarred red hillsides dotted with rotting tree stumps. The forest has disappeared as far as the eye can see."

Who cut down the forest, wiped out the fragile wildlife, depleted the soil, and left behind a chemically poisoned scar that had once been rainforest? It's a tragic story of greed and dependency. But the culprit here isn't a rapacious corporation. It's our demand for illegal drugs. It is time we look at the real, far-reaching consequences of our drug use and the damage we are doing to ourselves and to our world. Complete text

Other Narcotics News

• African Governments Respond to Drug Trafficking and Abuse
• USAID Outlines Alternative Development Program in Colombia
• USAID Points to Successes in Colombia Assistance Program
• Colombia Needs U.S. Aid to Combat Drugs, Terror

• Texts Archive

Fact Sheets

Drug Traffickers, Terrorists, Develop Close Connections
"Drug traffickers benefit from terrorists' military skills, weapons supply, and access to clandestine organizations," says an April 10, 2002 Department of State fact sheet.

Counternarcotics and Regional Security in El Salvador
The White House, March 24, 2002

The Andean Regional Initiative
The White House, March 23, 2002

U.S.-Peruvian Cooperation on Counternarcotics
The White House, March 23, 2002

White House Fact Sheet on Drug Certification
The White House, February 25, 2002

President Bush's National Drug Control Strategy FY-2003
The White House, February 12, 2002

U.S.-Mexico Law Enforcement Cooperation
The United States' law enforcement relationship with Mexico "is evolving into a solid partnership," the White House said in a September 5, 2001, fact sheet.

Overview of the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act
June 1, 2001, White House fact sheet providing an overview of the act (commonly known as the "Kingpin Act"). The legislation's purpose "is to deny significant foreign narcotics traffickers, their related businesses, and their operatives access to the U.S. financial system and all trade and transactions involving U.S. companies and individuals."

U.S. Policy Toward the Andean Region
May 16, 2001, State Department fact sheet outlining the president's Andean Regional Initiative (ARI) which has the goals of strengthening fragile democracies, fighting poverty, and enhancing regional cooperation against drug trafficking.

White House Announces New Anti-Drug Initiatives
May 10, 2001, fact sheet describing several new prevention and education programs the Bush administration will pursue to reduce drug use in the United States.

U.S. Global Demand Reduction Efforts on Drugs
This December 2000 fact sheet on U.S. international demand reduction initiatives on illicit drugs was issued by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) at the U.S. Department of State.

Key Reports

National Drug Control Strategy FY-2003 (PDF 7.5 MB)
Office of National Drug Control Policy, February 2002

2001 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report
U.S. Department of State, March 2002

National Drug Control Strategy: 2001 Annual Report
Office of National Drug Control Policy, January 2001

1999 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report
U. S. Department of State, March 2000

U.S. Government Agencies

The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)
The Office of National Drug Control Policy is organized within the Executive Office of the President. ONDCP coordinates Federal, State, and local efforts to control illegal drug abuse and devises national strategies to effectively carry out antidrug activities.

International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
U. S. Department of State, Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. The Bureau plans, implements, and oversees international narcotics control activities.

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
"DEA is the lead Federal agency in enforcing narcotics and controlled substance laws and regulations." The Administration maintains liaison with the United Nations, INTERPOL, and other organizations on matters relating to international narcotics control programs. It has offices throughout the United States and in 56 foreign countries.

Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control
"The Caucus was created to monitor and encourage the U. S. government and private programs seeking to expand international cooperation against drug abuse and narcotics trafficking, and promote international compliance with narcotics control treaties, including eradication."

U. S. Customs Service, Anti-Drug Initiatives
USCS is one of the bureaus of the U. S. Department of the Treasury. Its mission includes enforcing U. S. laws interdicting narcotics and other contraband.

Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FINCEN)
FINCEN is one of the bureaus of the U. S. Department of the Treasury. Its mission is to "foster interagency and global cooperation against domestic and international financial crimes."

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