However, if not supplemented with effective law enforcement and interdiction programs for illegal production and trafficking, the costs of such programs will avalanche and they will be doomed to failure. A conference of donor nations and recipient nations to revisit the concept of alternative development linked to reduction of illicit crops is much overdue. According to some, drug production is responsible for at least 10 per cent of the deforestation in Peru's rain forest, and pollution of countless rivers and land terrain by powerful insecticides and precursor chemical waste. But the political will and funds to carry out visions, and the institutional mechanisms to coordinate, implement, and review visions and are crucial. National and internationally integrated drug organizations that can coordinate national policies, programs, and operations are an essential and costly element of the equation.
Multilateral approaches are essential to deal with multilateral problems.
As we move into the twenty-first century, drugs will receive increased attention in the national and international community. If drug use and drug related crime increase in the coming decade, as many suggest, the public worldwide will increasingly demand more effective drug policies. Today, more than ever, drug policy must be a forward-looking process. As an important first step, we must adapt our mindsets to meet and anticipate new challenges posed by a changing and expanding global environment.