State officials: The fight against drug trafficking starts with interception and demand

State officials: The fight against drug trafficking starts with interception and demand (Alberta Times) Federal and state law enforcement officials say that to win the war on border drug trafficking, we must start from the source, then...

State officials: The fight against drug trafficking starts with interception and demand (Alberta Times) Federal and state law enforcement officials say winning the war on drugs at the border must start at the source: reducing demand. Several agencies are coordinating efforts to reduce domestic demand for drugs in the United States, several officials told a congressional panel in Phoenix on Monday. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Superintendent Matthew Allen said if Americans stopped using drugs, fewer drugs would be shipped into the United States. Allen's remarks were made to a congressional anti-drug panel in response to Rep. Paul Gausha's question about how to improve cooperation between law enforcement agencies in the face of government budget cuts. Critics believe that the main focus should be on cracking down on drug suppliers. Others believe that investing the government's main energy in reducing domestic drug demand is likely to fail to achieve the effect of combating drugs.