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Joe Biden’s administration will collaborate with Mexico and Colombia to ensure that the fight against drug production and trafficking adheres to law enforcement and respect for human rights.
This was announced by the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) in an eleven-page document, where it informed of the government’s priorities in this area during its first year in office.
Throughout the text, the administration develops its vision in the fight against what has come to be called in the United States “the opioid epidemic,” which in 2019 claimed the lives of 70,630 people in this country.
In the document, the ONDCP briefly mentions Mexico and Colombia in the section where it describes the fifth of the priorities of Biden’s Executive: reducing the supply of “illicit substances” to the United States.
To this end, it proposes to work with “key partners” in the continent, such as Mexico and Colombia, “to shape a collective and comprehensive response to illicit drug production and employ public health approaches through deepening bilateral collaboration, expanding effective state presence and developing infrastructure.”
“This ensures that activities to curb illicit drug production and trafficking adhere to law enforcement and respect for human rights,” the text says.
The United States will also seek to exercise its leadership in regional and multilateral forums, as well as use its presence there to engage with countries such as China and India on ways to disrupt the trafficking of synthetic drugs and their chemical components.
U.S. authorities also stress the importance of strengthening their capabilities in the fight against the sale of synthetic drugs over the Internet.
Other priorities of the Biden administration include expanding access to addiction treatment and promoting prevention among young people.
