Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Contact: Bob Weiner, 800-505-5986 (pager)
Jennifer de Vallance, cell in San Diego: 202-345-7870 or 202-395-6618
Jeff Kamen, 202-486-6188 (cell)
June 25, 2001
LATEST ANTI-DRUG TECHNOLOGIES FOR TREATMENT, PREVENTION, AND ENFORCEMENT TO BE FEATURED AT INTERNATIONAL COUNTERDRUG TECHNOLOGY SYMPOSIUM IN SAN DIEGO JUNE 26-28;
KEYNOTE SPEECH AND DISPLAY OF TECHNOLOGIES FOR MEDIA 12:00 NOON TUESDAY, JUNE 26, TOWN AND COUNTRY HOTEL & CONVENTION CENTER, 500 HOTEL CIRCLE NORTH, SAN DIEGO
MEDIA INVITED TO VIEW BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGIES, INCLUDING IMAGES DOCUMENTING LONG-TERM BRAIN DAMAGE FROM METH USE AND HIGH-TECH CRIME FIGHTING TOOLS BEING PROVIDED TO MORE THAN 2,500 LOCAL AND STATE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES
INTERVIEWS WITH DRUG CZAR'S CHIEF SCIENTIST, DR. AL BRANDENSTEIN, WHO CAN DISCUSS AND DEMONSTRATE ALL TECHNOLOGIES, AVAILABLE BY APPOINTMENT 5:00AM-7:00PM TU-TH
(SAN DIEGO, Monday, June 25, 2001) More than 400 of the country's leading scientists, drug technology experts, narcotics officers, and prosecutors will gather in San Diego for the Office of National Drug Control Policy's (ONDCP) International Counterdrug Technology Symposium June 26-28, 2001 at the Town and Country Convention Center. "This conference is designed to be a catalyst for the development of more effective drug treatment and state-of-the art devices to help narcotics officers do their jobs with less risk and greater success," says Dr. Al Brandenstein, ONDCP's Chief Scientist, and host of the Symposium. The event is co-sponsored by the Departments of Defense and Agriculture, the National Institute of Justice, the U.S. Customs Service, DEA, FBI, INS, FAA, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Dr. Brandenstein, Director of ONDCP's high-tech research and development arm (the Counterdrug Technology Assessment Center - CTAC), says federal agencies are "actively engaging and partnering with scientists and researchers to harness cutting-edge knowledge and technology with the potential to reduce substance abuse and its social and economic consequences in American communities. These experts and professionals are constantly making important new strides against addiction and the crime associated with drug trafficking. Through the use of new technologies we can make significant progress in reducing the demand for drugs, as well as the supply. We will challenge our Symposium participants to think outside the box." He added that over 2,500 police departments and sheriffs offices in all 50 states utilize the technology developed by ONDCP/CTAC under the Technology Transfer Program.
ONDCP International Counterdrug Technology Symposium Highlights:
- Daily, 5:00am – 7:00pm by appointment: Technology demonstration and interview with Dr. Al Brandenstein, Chief Scientist, Office of National Drug Control Policy
- Tuesday, June 26, 12:00pm: Keynote Address by Dr. Al Brandenstein, followed by walk-through/display of counterdrug technologies
- Tuesday, June 26, 8:30am and 1:30pm: Demand Reduction Plenary Session and Panel Discussion — "New Technologies to Catalyze Breakthroughs in Understanding Addiction" These interdisciplinary science panels will include several of the world's most famous medical researchers as they seek new approaches to preventing and treating drug addiction; among this group is Dr. Linda Chang, whose team has just used a brain scanning machine developed with support from ONDCP to discover and document the long-term brain damage created by methamphetamine
- Wednesday, June 27, 12:30pm: Address by Dr. Alan Leshner, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse
- Thursday, June 28, 12:30pm: Address by California Attorney General Bill Lockyer
For more information about CTAC, visit the ONDCP Web site at www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov
