Presidential Documents

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


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66674 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 186 / Wednesday, September 27, 2023 / Presidential Documents 

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, 


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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. 

THE WHITE HOUSE, 

Washington, September 15, 2023 

[FR Doc. 2023–21378 

Filed 9–26–23; 11:15 am] 

Billing code 4710–10–P 


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