Washington, DC - The U.S. State Department will convene practitioners and experts from around the world in the field of childhood drug addiction for the first-ever Child Substance Use Disorder Treatment Meeting, at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., July 18-20. The phenomenon of overseas child (infancy to pre-adolescence) drug exposure, use, and dependence is an alarming problem – and one becoming ever more urgent as paint thinners/glues are being replaced as the substance of choice with opioids and cocaine.

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Luis Arreaga will open the meeting with keynote remarks open to the press at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, July 18. He will also be available following his remarks for brief pull-aside interviews. Ambassador Arreaga will discuss the growing child substance use disorder problem across the globe, as well as how to build on the significant progress made by the State Department, UN Office on Drugs and Crime, and other partners in developing the first treatment protocols for pre-adolescent children.

This meeting serves as the final step towards creating a universal and comprehensive treatment, prevention, and recovery platform for at-risk youth ages 0-12. Participants and speakers from Afghanistan, Argentina, Bangladesh, Chile, India, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, and the Philippines are attending.