Delegations from Mexico, Canada, and U.S. participate in eighth meeting of North American Drug Dialogue

The Governments of Mexico, Canada, and the United States met in Mexico City on November 13-14, 2024, for the 8th North American Drug Dialogue (NADD). Officials from a wide range of agencies from the three countries took part in the discussions. The yearly NADD meeting brings together drug policy leaders, public health experts and law enforcement officials from all three countries to address the shared threat of highly toxic illegal drugs, with the goals of creating safer communities, improving health outcomes, and saving lives.

The participants addressed key aspects of the North American illegal drug market, including emerging threats and current trends in drug trafficking and use. They reviewed the progress made over the past year in advancing joint initiatives in five priority areas: current and emerging synthetic drugs, drug demand and public health, drug trafficking modes and methods, illegal drug-related financing, and the connections between firearms and drug trafficking.

As a result of this dialogue, the three countries renewed their commitment to advance these priorities. They agreed to strengthen trilateral collaboration to better understand and respond to the challenges posed by transnational organized crime's involvement in illicit drug production and trafficking, along with its public health implications. In 2025, Mexico, Canada, and the United States will take cooperative actions in several areas, including wastewater testing and early warning systems for illicit drugs; postal and border security; tracking synthetic drug trends to guide efforts to dismantle organized drug crime in North America; and reviewing collective measures to address the links between illicit synthetic drugs and firearms trafficking.

Government representatives from Belgium and the Netherlands also attended this year's meeting as part of an ongoing effort to broaden collaboration with other countries in addressing shared drug-related threats. They shared information about their countries' drug markets and discussed plans for collaborating with NADD in the coming year.

The NADD was formed during the North American Leaders' Summit (NALS) in July 2016. Through open dialogue and the exchange of information, best practices, and experiences, Canada, Mexico, and the United States aim to improve their understanding of the challenges posed by the illicit drug market in North America and advance coordinated solutions.