Eighth Meeting of the North American Dialogue on Drugs

November 14, 2024 – Mexico City (Mexico)

On November 13 and 14, the governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States met in Mexico City for the eighth meeting of the North American Dialogue on Drugs (DNAD). DNAD’s annual meeting brings together drug policy makers, public health experts and law enforcement experts from these three countries to collaborate on the common threat posed by deadly and illegal drugs to help communities make it safer, improve health outcomes and save lives.

Participants discussed key aspects of the illicit drug market in North America, including emerging threats and current trends in drug trafficking and use. They reviewed progress made over the past year to advance joint ventures in support of five priority areas: new and emerging synthetic drugs; drug demand and public health efforts to address it; methods and techniques of drug trafficking; illicit financial flows related to the illegal drug trade; and the links between arms trafficking, drug trafficking and transnational organized crime.

The three countries reaffirmed their commitment to continued trilateral cooperation to better understand the problems involved in the involvement of transnational organized crime groups in the production and trafficking of illegal drugs and to -doing better in response to these problems, as well as the commitment to accept them. a public health approach to reducing drug demand. In 2025, Canada, Mexico and the United States will develop cooperative measures in several areas, including wastewater analysis and the establishment of early warning systems for illegal drugs; strengthening postal and border security; monitor synthetic drug trends to inform measures to curb drug-related activities of organized crime groups and improve health interventions in North America; and exploring joint measures to prevent the circulation of illegal synthetic drugs and illegal firearms.

Representatives from the Netherlands and Belgium also participated in this year’s meeting as part of an ongoing effort to expand cooperation with other countries to combat the common dangers of illegal drugs. before us Dutch and Belgian representatives provided information on their illegal drug markets and discussed plans for cooperation with DNAD over the next year.

The DNAD was launched in July 2016 at the North American Leaders Summit (NALS). By encouraging open communication and exchange of information, best practices and lived experiences, Canada, Mexico and the United States want to improve their understanding of the challenges of the illegal drug market in North America and find coordinated solutions to meet these challenges.