President Ma Ying-jeou met with Dr. Bertha K. Madras, Professor of Psychobiology at Harvard Medical School, on the morning of October 29 at the Presidential Office. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan), expressed a warm welcome to Dr. Madras upon making a special trip here to share her substantial experience in drug control and prevention work in the United States.
The president commented that Dr. Madras was previously appointed to serve as Deputy Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. She has a wealth of experience in drug control work and closely follows drug-related topics throughout the world, he said.
President Ma furthermore remarked that when he served as Justice Minister he frequently read policy reports released by the US Department of Justice related to drug control. This enabled him to understand America's global anti-drug policies, which served as reference in formulating drug control policies here. President Ma said that presently the government engages in a three-pronged policy with regards to drugs, namely drug enforcement, encouraging people to reject drugs, and helping people to overcome drug addiction. On the one hand, this helps to stem the supply of drugs, while on the other hand it reduces demand, effectively combating drugs and achieving the objectives of protecting the health of the public, ensuring social stability, and reducing crime, he said.
The president also said that the ROC and the United States maintain close cooperation in drug enforcement, and the results have been quite good. He said that the police and prosecutors are all aware of the meaning of "controlled delivery," which is collaboration between drug enforcement agencies throughout the world. Under this system, smugglers are allowed to smoothly move drugs across a border, only to be caught when reaching a designated place. This is an effective strategy in breaking up drug rings and capturing persons involved in crime, he said. President Ma also said that he feels it extremely meaningful to be able to meet with Dr. Madras, an official who was involved in the creation of these policies, an anti-drug expert, and a fellow alumnus of Harvard.