Embassy Sponsors US Experts to Offer Tips on Drug Abuse in Mexico The News
go to original December 10, 2012

MEXICO CITY – The U.S. Embassy this week sponsored the visits of several experts to speak about drug abuse prevention, family therapy and drug treatment courts. The experts were invited to participate in Mexico’s largest annual conference on the prevention and treatment of drug abuse, organized by the Juvenile Integration Center (CIJ), Mexico’s largest and oldest non-governmental organization focused on drug addiction.

U.S. Ambassador Anthony Wayne said, “We are pleased and proud to support CIJ and other Mexican-led efforts to reduce the demand for illicit drugs. In the United States, drug use affects every sector of society, straining our economy, our health care and criminal justice systems, and endangering the futures of young people. While many challenges remain, overall drug use in the United States has dropped substantially over the past thirty years. President Obama has committed over $10 billion annually to drug education programs and support for expanding access to drug treatment for addicts.”

Among the guests was distinguished U.S. legal expert Julius Lang of the Center for Court Innovation – a public-private partnership in the United States that supports research and development of judicial sector reforms – who spoke about drug treatment courts at the CIJ conference.

Dr. Andrea Barthwell and Dr. Gonzalo Bacigalupe also attended and presented a series of lectures and round-table discussions on drug abuse prevention and family therapy. Dr. Barthwell is a founder and CEO of EMGlobal LLC, and former deputy director for demand reduction in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Dr. Bacigalupe is an associate professor in the Department of Counseling and School of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts. The doctors were also panelists in the International Conference on Attention to Drug Addiction in a Human Rights Framework, where they presented their innovations in drug addiction treatment and prevention.

The doctors also discussed effective workplace and community drug programs and provided an overview of the United State’s response to illegal drug use.

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