AID and narcotics control : an issue brief

has participated in narcotics control activities for more than two decades, but Agency involvement in these activities has reached an unprecedented level in the early l990"s. The importance that America has placed on the drug issue has generated the U.S. war on drugs and in turn increased the funding for A.I.D."s narcotics control portfolio. A.I.D"s experience in previous counter-narcotics projects has been disappointing, particularly in crop substitution. A central lesson learned from this experience is that A.I.D. assistance needs to go beyond crop substitution to support development activities likely to offer the most viable alternatives to narcotics production regardless of sector or location, as well as efforts in narcotics awareness and policy dialogue. But the most fundamental lesson learned is that, without the strong coordinated efforts of the host country, U.S. government agencies, other donors, and bordering countries, along with simultaneous efforts to reduce international demand, A.I.D.-supported activities, no matter how well designed, will have little or no lasting impact on the international narcotics problem. (Author abstract)