Washington, DC /eNewsChannels/ — On Tuesday, February 23, David T. Johnson, Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement; Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Gil Kerlikowske, Director, National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP); Pam Hyde, Administrator, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; Tom McLellan, Deputy Director, ONDCP; and Mexican officials will deliver remarks beginning at 8:15 a.m. and hold a question and answer session for members of the press at 9:30 a.m. to discuss the opening day of the U.S.-Mexico Bi-national Drug Demand Reduction Policy Meeting.
The three-day conference, from February 23-25, 2010 at the U.S. Department of State George C. Marshall Conference Center, will focus on the two nations’ coordinated efforts and unilateral initiatives to reduce illicit drug consumption and minimize the negative consequences associated with illicit drug abuse. The meeting reflects the continuing commitment of the United States and Mexico to work together to reduce the demand for drugs and significant public health and safety consequences associated with illicit drug use.
On Wednesday, February 24, Gil Kerlikowske, Director, National Drug Control Policy; Mrs. Margarita Zavala, First Lady of Mexico; Carlos Pascual, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico; and Arturo Sarukhan Casamitjana, Mexican Ambassador to the United States will deliver remarks on reducing drug consumption and breaking the cycle of drugs and crime.
