Drug Prevention, Treatment Part of U.S./Mexico Border Counternarcotics Strategy

Preventing drug use and treating drug abuse will play a key role in the United States’ Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy along the U.S./Mexico border, federal officials announced on Thursday. Prevention and treatment will be added to the U.S. government’s focus on stopping drug and gun smuggling, according to The Arizona Republic.

Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, said the emphasis on prevention and treatment is part of the Obama Administration’s larger national policy on drug control. “Next week, when President Obama’s National Drug Control Strategy is released, it will again emphasize that – not just for along the border, but throughout the nation,” he said.

According to the newspaper, Arizona Senator John McCain’s office said that while he believes that drug use prevention is important, border security remains the priority.