Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Rafael Lemaitre 202-395-6618
Monday, March 31, 2003
UNITED STATES AND UNITED KINGDOM ANNOUNCE NEW SCIENTIFIC PARTNERSHIP AGAINST DRUG DEPENDENCY AND ADDICTION
Top Researchers Will Partner to Develop State-of-the-Art Technologies Aimed at Helping Doctors and Police Fight Drug Crime and Addiction
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(Washington, D.C.) —The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the United Kingdom's Home Office today signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will facilitate the flow of information between scientists working on programs and technologies aimed at reducing drug crime and addiction. The new agreement will integrate and adapt the counterdrug technologies from both nations to save development costs and avoid duplication.
John Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy stated, "Both of our nations suffer from addiction, crime, and violence caused by drugs. Our shared challenges deserve shared solutions. This agreement will allow our medical communities and law enforcement agencies to be more effective by making the most up to date technology and research available to them. We look forward to expanding our already productive partnership with the U.K."
U.K. Home Secretary David Blunkett said, "This agreement will speed the creation, testing and deployment of the very best that British and American scientific minds have to offer. Our doctors and police will now have the best tools available as we seek to reduce the supply and demand of illicit drugs. This effort will save lives and improve the quality of life for all of our citizens."
ONDCP and its partners utilize science, medicine, and technology to achieve the goals and objectives of President Bush's National Drug Control Strategy. Through the diligent efforts of medical researchers and counterdrug enforcement scientists, addicts are completing treatment and reentering society, and drug traffickers are being apprehended and removed from our communities. The new partnership will benefit medical researchers who are currently researching the basic circuitry of the brain in order to understand the fundamental causes of substance abuse addiction. Scientists and engineers will also be able to assist police achieve an edge over sophisticated drug suppliers by developing technology that can be used to detect, monitor, and disrupt their operations.
