U.S. Global Demand Reduction Efforts on Drugs

Prevention and treatment activities highlighted by INL

Following is the text of a December 2000 fact sheet on U.S.
international demand reduction initiatives on illicit drugs, issued by
the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
(INL) at the U.S. Department of State:

FACT SHEET: INL INTERNATIONAL DEMAND REDUCTION INITIATIVES

(Released by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement
Affairs, Department of State)

Drug "demand reduction" refers to efforts to reduce worldwide use and
abuse of, and demand for narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
Unlike "supply reduction," which focuses on law enforcement activities
to suppress or disrupt production and distribution of drugs, "demand
reduction" seeks reduction of abuse directly through prevention and
treatment. The need for demand reduction is obvious since escalating
drug use and abuse continue to take a devastating toll on the health,
welfare, security, and economic stability of all nations. As a result,
foreign countries are increasingly requesting technical and other
assistance from the United States Government to address their demand
problems, citing long-term U.S. experience and efforts in this area.
Such assistance can play an important role in helping to preserve the
stability of societies threatened by increasing drug abuse.

The INL demand reduction strategy integrates a broad spectrum of
initiatives which include:

-- bilateral training and technical assistance to prevent the onset of
use; intervention at "critical decision points" in the lives of
vulnerable populations to prevent both first use and further use,

-- improve effective treatment programs for the addicted,

-- broaden education and increase public awareness of the deleterious
consequences of drug use/abuse,

-- coalition building to mobilize the international community,

-- research on the effectiveness of these and other programs.

Training

INL-funded bilateral training and technical assistance programs are
targeted towards countries that have invested significant resources in
programs developed with INL-funded assistance. INL-funded regional
training targets countries in regions experiencing high addiction
rates (e.g., Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Eastern
Europe/Russia). Some of the countries that have benefited from
INL-funded training are the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, China,
Vietnam, Brazil, Colombia, Peru and South Africa.

INL-funded training and technical assistance have helped host
governments engage their own institutions and communities to reduce
demand for illicit drugs. Building on this assistance, many countries
in South America and South Asia continue to develop and staff their
own drug treatment/prevention programs. Several of these programs
reportedly experience high treatment program retention rates, reduced
recidivism, and reduced peer violence compared to U.S. based programs.

Examples of where INL-funded demand reduction projects have made a
difference:

-- In Thailand, the Department of Corrections have utilized INL
training in over 75 institutions to treat over 2,500 drug addicted
inmates daily.

-- In Chile, INL-funds are being used to design a nationwide
anti-drug, free television and radio media campaign similar to the
successful Partnership for a Drug-Free America.

Coalition Building

Coalition building programs involve the development of public and
private sector networks of demand reduction organizations to mobilize
international opinion against the drug trade and encourage governments
to develop and implement strong anti-drug policies and programs. This
involves establishing and strengthening existing national, regional,
and international networks of public/private organizations involved in
treatment and prevention fields. INL funding for these programs will
be used to link national treatment/prevention networks with regional
networks.

In FY 2000, INL-funded coalition building initiatives resulted in the
creation of the first-ever "international drug prevention network"
that includes over 70 countries, and a Western Hemisphere demand
reduction network (the Drug Prevention Network of the Americas)
consisting of over 3,000 programs. Using INL-funds, coalition groups
are also creating a worldwide web site/internet system for the drug
prevention field (www.dpna.org).

Research

INL-funded research consists of cross-cultural, scientific comparative
research programs designed to directly benefit foreign and U.S.-based
demand reduction programs. The results of these research grants will
be a compilation of best-practices, common program elements and
lessons learned from organizations in selected countries that have
developed successful drug treatment/rehabilitation modalities from
INL-funded training.

Preliminary results from studies conducted on INL-funded demand
reduction training in Peru confirms the viability of INL training in
fostering host government institution building.

Another study on programs for high-risk youth in drug intervention
programs (Peru, Brazil) indicates significant results in terms of
increased program retention rates and successful reintegration into
society.

INF-funded research in FY 2000 will evaluate youth anti-gang/violence
reduction programs developed from INL-funded training with the intent
of benefiting similar services provided in the U.S. and in other
countries.