U.S. Department of State Releases Annual Narcotics Report

On February 26, 1999, the U.S. Department of State Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs released the International Narcotics Control Strategy Report. It requires the President to consider the extent to which each major illicit drug producing or drug-transit country has met various counterdrug goals, especially: major illicit drug producing, drug transit, significant source, precursor chemical, and money laundering countries; major illicit drug producing and drug-transit countries; major precursor chemical source countries; and major money laundering countries. The report contains a discussion of trends in both the world and individual countries. Hence, it is frequently used as a reference. It will be available from the Government Printing Office around the end of March. Congress has one month to overturn the President’s certification decisions. This year, while there is controversy about the failure to decertify Mexico, Congress seems especially indifferent to the conclusions of the report.