U.S. State Department brings foreign journalists to hear about Georgia's efforts to reduce illicit drug demand

On July 17 members of the US State Department's Washington Foreign Press Center brought 10 foreign journalists to The Council on Alcohol and Drugs, a drug prevention agency in Atlanta. The purpose of their visit was to hear about Georgia's efforts to reduce drug demand by preventing it.

The journalists, from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Haiti, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, came to discuss how the US is working in conjunction with other governments in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean to combat drug use, and how prevention can be a part of that effort. The goal of the tour is for the journalists to write/broadcast stories about what the US is doing, in cooperation with their countries, about these important issues.

The journalists are particularly concerned because, as Secretary Hillary Clinton has noted, the great demand for illegal drugs in the United States contributes to the issues Mexico and Central America have in regard to supply. As she stated during a recent trip to Mexico, "We have made a commitment to assist the Government of Mexico in its struggle against the drug traffickers, and we have accepted that this is a co-responsibility. We know very well that the drug traffickers are motivated by the demand for illegal drugs in the United States."

Chuck Wade, the Council's President & CEO stated that, "The US is 4% of the world's population but consumes 66% of the world's illegal drugs."

"Our 'demand' problem causes much of their 'supply' problem," stated Dr. Gregg Raduka, Director of Prevention/Intervention with The Council.

The journalists were very interested in hearing about The Council on Alcohol and Drugs' prevention programs such as Drugs Don't Work in Georgia which certifies drug-free workplaces, the Georgia Underage Drinking Prevention Initiative, and Middle After School Prevention Programming, a comprehensive program for 10-15 year olds which includes drug prevention. These programs are funded primarily by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, Office of Prevention Services and Programs, and the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta.