Pubdate: Tue, 06 Nov 2012
Source: Washington Post (DC)
Copyright: 2012 The Washington Post Company
Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/mUgeOPdZ
Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/491
Author: Gil Kerlikowske

SUCCESSES IN THE WAR ON DRUGS

Regarding the Nov. 4 news article "Mexican drug cartels establish 
networks in U.S. cities":

Since March 2009, the Obama administration has placed an 
unprecedented amount of personnel, infrastructure and technology 
along the southwest border. The U.S. Border Patrol has doubled in 
size, we've bolstered operations at our ports of entry and we've 
expanded successful partnerships with the Mexican government that are 
cracking down on cross-border crime. These actions have improved our 
ability to disrupt drug-trafficking across the United States.

As drug seizures have increased due to smarter enforcement, the U.S. 
consumption of cocaine and methamphetamine has also plummeted. Since 
2006, cocaine use has dropped by more than 40 percent, and meth use 
has fallen by a third. The demand for these drugs in the United 
States has fallen substantially, and the market for cocaine in 
particular is in disarray.

While serious challenges remain, we recognize that no single nation 
is exclusively a producer of illegal drugs, a transit country or a 
consumer country. We are all in this together, and by working to 
reduce both the demand and supply of drugs, we can continue to make 
progress in making our communities safer and healthier.

Gil Kerlikowske, Washington The writer is director of the White 
House's National Drug Control Policy.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom