2021 was a year of unprecedented challenges for international drug control. The COVID-19 pandemic combined with political instability created ongoing difficulties for governments and law enforcement to curb illicit drug production and trafficking. The United States alone reached its highest record of over 91,000 deaths from drug overdoses in 2020, and over 100,000 deaths in the 12-month period prior to April 2021. Synthetic opioids continue to be the most foremost drug-related threat in the U.S., while Columbia, Peru, and Bolivia reached record highs for coca cultivation.
The Department of State has released 2022 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR)– one of several mandated reports intended to provide a factual basis for the President’s annual report to Congress. The President’s report lists countries who have failed to make substantial efforts in adhering to counternarcotics agreements, and whose financial institutions have engaged in currency transactions in relation to international narcotics trafficking.
The INCSR is divided into two volumes: International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, Volume 1: Drug and Chemical Control, and International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, Volume 2: Money Laundering. The first volume focuses on international cooperation with drug reduction efforts, while the second highlights anti-money laundering/combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) countermeasures.
The United States continues to lead globally in financing efforts to combat the production and trade of illicit drugs, while partnering with governments around the world. The report emphasizes the importance of a range of evidence-based supply and demand efforts combined with strategies for both incentives and disincentives.
Despite the evolving challenges countries faced in addressing the illicit drug trade in 2021, there continues to be robust international cooperation and willingness on the part of governments to seek solutions.
For more information, check out HSDL’s Featured Topics on Opioids and documents related to international drug control. Please note an HSDL login is required to view some of these resources.
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