[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 186 (Wednesday, September 27, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 66673-66675]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-21378]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 88 , No. 186 / Wednesday, September 27, 2023 
/ Presidential Documents  

[[Page 66673]]


                Presidential Determination No. 2023-12 of September 15, 
                2023

                
Presidential Determination on Major Drug Transit 
                or Major Drug Illicit Countries for Fiscal Year 2024

                Memorandum for the Secretary of State

                By the authority vested in me as President by the 
                Constitution and the laws of the United States, 
                including section 706(1) of the Foreign Relations 
                Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2003 (Public Law 107-
                228) (FRAA), I hereby identify the following countries 
                as major drug transit or major illicit drug producing 
                countries: Afghanistan, The Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, 
                Burma, the People's Republic of China (PRC), Colombia, 
                Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El 
                Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, 
                Laos, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, and 
                Venezuela.

                A country's presence on the foregoing list is not 
                necessarily a reflection of its government's 
                counterdrug efforts or level of cooperation with the 
                United States. Consistent with the statutory definition 
                of a major drug transit or major illicit drug producing 
                country set forth in sections 481(e)(2) and 481(e)(5) 
                of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended 
                (Public Law 87-195) (FAA), the reason countries are 
                placed on the list is the combination of geographic, 
                commercial, and economic factors that allow drugs to be 
                transited or produced, even if a government has engaged 
                in robust and diligent narcotics control and law 
                enforcement measures.

                The James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act 
                for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117-263) amended the 
                definition of major drug source countries to include 
                source countries of precursor chemicals used to produce 
                illicit drugs significantly affecting the United 
                States. For countries with large chemical and 
                pharmaceutical industries, preventing precursor 
                chemicals from being diverted to the production of 
                illicit drugs is a particularly difficult challenge, 
                including for the United States and other countries 
                with strict regulatory regimes to prevent diversion. 
                The PRC has been identified as a major source country 
                due to this change in legislation, and the United 
                States strongly urges the PRC and other chemical source 
                countries to tighten chemical supply chains and prevent 
                diversion.

                Pursuant to section 706(2)(A) of the FRAA, I hereby 
                designate Bolivia, Burma, and Venezuela as having 
                failed demonstrably during the previous 12 months to 
                both adhere to their obligations under the 
                international counternarcotics agreements and to take 
                the measures required by section 489(a)(1) of the FAA. 
                Included with this determination are justifications for 
                the designations of Bolivia, Burma, and Venezuela, as 
                required by section 706(2)(B) of the FRAA. I have also 
                determined, in accordance with provisions of section 
                706(3)(A) of the FRAA, that United States programs that 
                support Bolivia, Burma, and Venezuela are vital to the 
                national interests of the United States.

                Although the rate of drug overdose deaths in the United 
                States is flattening after years of sharp increases, 
                more than 109,000 lives were lost to drug overdoses in 
                2022, according to preliminary data from the Centers 
                for Disease Control and Prevention. This remains 
                unacceptably high, and my Administration is deploying 
                unprecedented resources and building new partnerships 
                to confront this public health and security crisis. 
                Domestically, in the last fiscal year alone, the United 
                States allocated more than $24 billion to expand 
                evidence-based prevention and treatment, including harm 
                reduction and

[[Page 66674]]

                recovery support services, with targeted investments to 
                meet the needs of populations at greatest risk for 
                overdose and substance use disorder. Beyond these 
                additional resources, my Administration expanded access 
                to Naloxone, which can reverse opioid-related 
                overdoses, and made this life-saving medicine available 
                over-the-counter. My Administration has also removed 
                barriers to treatment, including by working with the 
                Congress on bipartisan legislation. My Fiscal Year 2024 
                Budget calls for an even greater historic investment of 
                $46.1 billion for National Drug Control Program 
                agencies, a more than $2 billion increase from what was 
                enacted during the previous year. This request also 
                includes significant investments in reducing the supply 
                of illicit drugs originating from beyond our borders.

                The vast majority of illicit drugs causing the most 
                damage in the United States originate from beyond our 
                borders, and our most effective means of reducing the 
                availability of these drugs is to expand and improve 
                our cooperation with international partners. Most drug 
                overdose deaths within the United States involve 
                illicit synthetic drugs and particularly synthetic 
                opioids such as fentanyl. These synthetic drugs can be 
                produced anywhere using precursor chemicals widely 
                available for legitimate purposes, at a fraction of the 
                cost and time it takes criminal organizations to 
                produce dangerous drugs from plants.

                Every country and region of the globe faces its own 
                challenges from synthetic drugs. In Africa, the 
                synthetic opioid tramadol is driving increasing numbers 
                of injuries and fatalities, especially when mixed with 
                other drugs. In the Middle East, synthetic stimulants 
                are trafficked and sold as counterfeit captagon in 
                large quantities. Ketamine--a synthetic anesthetic with 
                hallucinogenic effects--is increasingly encountered 
                throughout Asia, and it is being found mixed with 
                methamphetamine, which appears to be growing more 
                prevalent and more potent all over the world. And the 
                categories of synthetic drugs are constantly shifting, 
                as drug traffickers adjust formulas to avoid 
                international controls and domestic regulations to 
                create new demand. More than 1,100 new psychoactive 
                substances and designer drugs have been detected and 
                reported to the United Nations over the past decade 
                alone.

                To confront this common challenge, the United States 
                launched this past summer a new Global Coalition to 
                Address Synthetic Drug Threats. This diverse coalition 
                of countries and international organizations will share 
                best practices and expand cooperation to prevent the 
                illicit manufacture and trafficking of synthetic drugs, 
                detect emerging drug threats and use patterns, and 
                promote public health interventions to prevent and 
                reduce drug use and promote recovery. The United States 
                welcomes all like-minded governments to participate in 
                the work of this coalition and join efforts against 
                these rapidly evolving global threats.

                The political commitment of our international partners 
                remains critical to achieving success against illicit 
                drug threats, and no country is more important than 
                Mexico. Under the Bicentennial Framework for Security, 
                Public Health, and Safe Communities, our two countries 
                have cooperated to seize greater volumes of fentanyl 
                and other drugs. We have worked successfully during the 
                last year to improve law enforcement collaboration, 
                prevent the diversion of precursor chemicals, and 
                arrest key organized crime figures involved in drugs 
                and firearms trafficking, migrant smuggling, and other 
                criminal activity. Sadly, some of these arrests 
                resulted in the loss of lives of Mexican officials, and 
                their sacrifices underscore the shared commitment from 
                both countries to do what is necessary to fight these 
                criminal organizations. To that end and to build on the 
                increased cooperation of the past year, both countries 
                should continue strengthening law enforcement 
                information sharing and collaboration; build capacity 
                to detect and counter drug production and trafficking 
                and diversion of chemicals and drug-related equipment; 
                and improve mechanisms to monitor, prevent, and treat 
                drug substance use disorders.

                With our key partners in South America, the United 
                States will continue to support ongoing efforts to 
                reduce coca cultivation and cocaine production,

[[Page 66675]]

                expand access to justice, and promote alternative 
                livelihoods. Colombia has historically been a strong 
                partner in the fight against the drug trade. 
                Nevertheless, illicit coca cultivation and cocaine 
                production remain at historically high levels, and I 
                urge the Government of Colombia to prioritize efforts 
                to expand its presence in coca-producing regions and 
                achieve sustainable progress against criminal 
                organizations. In Bolivia, I encourage additional steps 
                by the government to safeguard the country's licit coca 
                markets from criminal exploitation, reduce illicit coca 
                cultivation that continues to exceed legal limits under 
                Bolivia's domestic laws for medical and traditional 
                use, and continue to expand cooperation with 
                international partners to disrupt transnational 
                criminal networks.

                Afghanistan has been removed from the list of countries 
                determined to have ``failed demonstrably'' due to 
                progress made within that country over the past year in 
                reducing the cultivation of opium poppy and production 
                of illicit narcotics. However, I remain concerned by 
                the continuation of the illicit drug trade within and 
                originating from Afghanistan, including 
                methamphetamine. The country's drug control efforts 
                must be sustained and expanded to include meaningful 
                steps against drug trafficking and the drug supply 
                chain, including by eliminating illicit drug stockpiles 
                and curbing methamphetamine production. I will 
                reconsider Afghanistan's status during the next annual 
                review based on whether these additional steps are 
                taken, in keeping with Afghanistan's international drug 
                control commitments and in full respect for the human 
                rights of its people.

                You are authorized and directed to submit this 
                designation, with the Bolivia, Burma, and Venezuela 
                memoranda of justification, under section 706 of the 
                FRAA, to the Congress, and to publish this 
                determination in the Federal Register.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    Washington, September 15, 2023

[FR Doc. 2023-21378
Filed 9-26-23; 11:15 am]
Billing code 4710-10-P