Washington, DC - Today, a senior-level Chinese delegation is beginning a first-of-its-kind study visit to observe drug prevention and treatment practices in the United States. This U.S.-China effort to reduce demand for narcotics complements recent productive cooperation to reduce supply, most notably by placing restrictive controls on synthetic opioids.

The study tour, featuring stops in the Washington D.C. area and New York City, will highlight the roles that U.S. federal agencies, private treatment centers, and non-government community coalitions play in helping Americans to fight substance use. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) worked with the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) in arranging the Chinese visit.

As addiction knows no national borders, and illicit drug use anywhere enriches transnational criminal drug traffickers, State Department efforts aim to reduce demand for illicit drugs around the world. The United States looks forward to sharing best practices in the areas of prevention and treatment, and further advancing productive U.S.-China counter-narcotics cooperation.