The foreign interdiction and source country programs on which the United States has spent $25 billion since 1981 are intended to reduce domestic drug abuse. To examine this intersection of domestic and international interests, the Council on Foreign Relations convened an Independent Task Force to review U.S. international drug strategy and to suggest possible future directions.

The bipartisan Task Force - chaired by Mathea Falco, President of Drug Strategies, and former Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics Matters - included experts with backgrounds in diplomacy, law enforcement, economic development, public health, judicial institutions, human rights, and multinational business.