Brasília, November 21, 2002 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Information dissemination will be the basic input for police and society in the war on drugs. This affirmation was made today by the minister of Justice, Paulo de Tarso Ribeiro, who participated in the opening of the IV Meeting of Authorities Active in Drug Questions, Prevention of Their Improper Use, and Rehabilitation of Drug Addicts in the Mercosur (RED).

The minister highlighted the site created by the Federal Antidrug Office (Senad), the Brazilian Drug Information Observatory, which makes available all kinds of information on the topic. In the minister's view, Western society is passing through a moment of crisis and has to reflect on the drug scourge, which requires governments to spend billions of dollars. He observed that the drug question is even more serious in Brazil, because the drug traffic finances all other forms of criminality. (DAS)