Opening Remarks |
Barry R. McCaffrey
Director
Office of National Drug Control Poicy, USA
General McCaffrey especially applauded the professional and political leadership shown by both nations in preparing for this meeting. He noted that both countries have worked very hard to produce a thoughtful and focused agenda. Participation by our parallel government agencies, national organizations, researchers, and service providers was encouraged and was built into the framework of the conference.
This meeting represents the first time that hundreds of experts from Mexico and the United States have met together to discuss our common need to reduce drug demand.
General McCaffrey stressed five salient points:
- the United States' and Mexico's long history of
bi-national cooperation;
- the large number of citizens in both countries who share common economic and cultural concerns;
- the fact that national drug problems actually represent
a series of local drug epidemics, which require local and community coalition-building efforts to address them;
- the need to use mass-media technology with
significant emphasis on parental involvement;
- the need for ongoing, international cooperation based on mutual respect for the contributions of the nations involved.
