The Organization of American States (OAS) is an intergovernmental organization with 31 member States. The OAS has given high priority to promoting cooperation among its member nations in combating drug problems. In 1986, the OAS convened in the Inter-American Specialized Conference on Traffic in Narcotic Drugs in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Conference focused on drug trafficking problems and how to cure them. It emphasized the need for public awareness and cooperation in decreasing illicit demand for drugs in the Americas. Measures adopted by the Conference included helping member States to reduce illegal cultivation of narcotic crops and clandestine drug laboratories. Additional measures included inter-American cooperation to interrupt the flow and distribution of illicit drugs and to take the profit out of drug trafficking operations.