The article examines the background of U.S. foreign drug policy and its underlying assumptions, analyzes emerging drug policy trends, and reflects on the evolution of an international organized crime-oriented foreign drug policy. The author suggests that there are several trends emerging which affect the future of U.S. international drug control policy: a decline in public interest over the drug issue, a tendency to link and subordinate drugs to other issues, a growing emphasis on demand reduction policies and a deemphasis on punishment, a shift from unilateral and bilateral to multilateral initiatives, a decline in emphasis on interdiction, and a tendency to respond differently to different drugs. The Congressional emphasis on combatting violent crime bodes well for those who want to link the international antidrug efforts to those which target transnational organized crime. 3 notes