Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - The United States has committed $17 million to assist the Mexican government as part of the Merida Initiative. These funds will assist Mexico's goal of strengthening the 334 New Life centers and 32 state anti-addiction observatories that will be connected through a nationwide network, sharing clinical information on drug use, and intervening in detected cases of vulnerable individuals.

The president of the National DIF (Mexico's Social Services), Margarita Zavala, presented the Technology Transfer Network for the Care of Addictions (Renadic), and said it represents a tool for rebuilding the social fabric affected by the violence generated by drug trafficking.

US Under Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman, emphasized the importance to the United States of sharing responsibility for combating addiction, especially among children and young people, and she stressed the importance of the bilateral relationship.

"President Calderon has devoted unprecedented resources to combatting organized crime and to transforming Mexican institutions to meet the challenges of a growing and vibrant society. The United States is a willing partner in this effort, and the Merida Initiative exemplifies that commitment," she said.

The US also donated more than $8 million worth of high-tech equipment that will connect to the network. The network will consist of 400 websites, from which it will be possible to screen the population at risk as well as create and track electronic medical records.

With the support of parents, students will be screened in Basic Education to detect if they are at risk, have been offered drugs, and how to intervene immediately. The age group of greatest concern to the health sector is adolescents from 12 to 17 years of age.

In Mexico there are approximately 1,200,000 people with addiction problems, about 465,000 of which are chronic, as well as 30,000,000 heavy drinkers. Approximately 3% of teens have alcohol problems, and they tend to consume more methamphetamines. Drug use among women is increasing.

There will be improved staff training at the New Life Centers to learn how to better deal with vulnerable populations, as well as a system of video conferencing to facilitate communications between all involved.

In the last four years the Federal Government in Mexico has invested over $400 million pesos in preventing and combatting addiction, nearly double that of the previous administration. It has reached 17 million people, particularly young people who have had contact with drugs or were part of criminal groups.

The mayor of Mexico City, Marcelo Ebrard, considers this program essential to strengthening prevention. "We must pay attention to combatting crime, distribution, production, and use of the resources that contribute to organized crime so we can reduce the spread of addiction."