Press Release

Digg Newsvine del.icio.us Stumble It! Reddit Furl Yahoo Google

(Washington, D.C.)—Today, the Nation's Drug Czar, John P. Walters, and the Dutch Minister of Health, Welfare, and Sport, Hans Hoogervorst signed an agreement outlining areas for future collaboration in drug demand reduction. Provisions in the agreement include: The exchange of information on prevention programs and research coordination, particularly on the health risks of high-THC cannabis; the U.S. and the Netherlands will exchange information on short term interventions on the Internet including cannabis Internet interventions; finally, the Netherlands will assign a Dutch researcher to NIDA and/or a grantee to conduct collaborative research in the United States.

"U.S. and Dutch drug policies are often portrayed as a caricature of overly punitive policies vs. overly permissive. This simplistic dichotomy isn't real and ignores important collaboration between the two countries," said Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy. "I recently visited the Netherlands and was encouraged by what I saw and learned. Officials at all levels of Dutch government and in the private sector expressed their desire to work together to reduce demand for drugs."

"In the field of public health and health care, the United States and the Netherlands have been working closely together. Drug policy is one of the issues that makes headlines. Indeed, in this field, working together, sharing best practices and exchanging views are essential to counteract this serious problem and avoid misunderstandings on different approaches," said Hans Hoogervorst, the Dutch Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport. "That is why Mr. Walters and I have decided to sign an agreement to underline the excellent cooperation of the last few years and to express the wish to extend this cooperation and coordination."

The United States and the Netherlands have been working together since 2003 to implement a comprehensive agreement on Law Enforcement, Counternarcotics and Counterterrorism. This bilateral effort, known as the "Agreed Steps," focuses on attacking major MDMA/Ecstasy production and trafficking organizations, enhancing law enforcement and judicial cooperation, improved targeting of drug couriers at Schiphol airport and Rotterdam seaport, and exchanging information on drug prevention, treatment and research. Today's agreement is a significant step toward ensuring U.S. and Dutch cannabis policies are evidence-based and reflect the true nature of the public health threat.

For more information on the ONDCP, visit: www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov

For more information on the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, visit: http://www.minvws.nl/en/