The United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control (also known as the Senate Narcotics Caucus) is a U.S. congressional caucus created to monitor and encourage the U.S. government and private programs seeking to expand international cooperation against

drug abuse Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definitions ...

and

narcotics trafficking The illegal drug trade, drug trafficking, or narcotrafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of drug prohibition, prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibitionism, prohibit trade, exce ...

, and promote international compliance with

narcotics The term narcotic (, from ancient Greek ναρκῶ ''narkō'', "I make numb") originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with numbing or paralyzing properties. In the United States, it has since become associated with opiates ...

control

treaties A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...

, including eradication. As a formal organization of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

, the Caucus has the status of a

standing committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...

. It has

subpoena A subpoena (; also subpœna, supenna or subpena) or witness summons is a writ issued by a government agency, most often a court, to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of ...

power and is authorized to take

testimony Testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. Etymology The words "testimony" and "testify" both derive from the Latin word ''testis'', referring to the notion of a disinterested third-party witness. Law In the law, testimon ...

of witnesses and to produce books, records, papers, and documents that it deems necessary. In the past it has dealt with international cooperation, eradication, trafficking,

interdiction Interdiction is interception of an object prior to its arrival at the location where it is to be used in military, espionage, and law enforcement. Military In the military, interdiction is the act of delaying, disrupting, or destroying enemy f ...

border control Border control comprises measures taken by governments to monitor and regulate the movement of people, animals, and goods across land, air, and maritime borders. While border control is typically associated with international borders, it als ...

, drug strategies, assessments of Federal programs, and

money laundering Money laundering is the process of illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities (often known as dirty money) such as drug trafficking, sex work, terrorism, corruption, and embezzlement, and converting the funds i ...

issues. The Caucus has held numerous hearings over the years and has issued a number of reports on U.S. narcotics control policy. The primary responsibilities of the INCC have involved monitoring of compliance with international narcotics control treaties and agreements, and oversight of U.S. counter narcotics policy and activities.

Establishment

The United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control was originally called the United States Commission on International Narcotics Control, when it was established on August 16, 1985, by the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for fiscal 1986 and 1987. Pursuant to the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act of 1986 (), the name of the Commission was changed to the United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, effective November 13, 1985. (The

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

had requested the name change because it would more accurately reflect the membership of the group, given that no House Members were to be appointed to it.)

Membership

The group's authorizing legislation () provided that the Commission draw its membership from the Senate and from experts in the private sector. Specifically, the group was to be composed of 12 members, seven Members of the U.S. Senate appointed by the

President of the Senate President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the Speaker (politics), speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's Order of succession, succes ...

, and five members from the private sector appointed by the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

. Four of the seven Senators, including one designated as

Chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

, were to be selected from the majority party after consultation with the Majority Leader, and three, including the Member designated as Co-Chairman, were to be selected from the minority party, after consultation with the Minority Leader. The five Commission members selected from the private sector were to be appointed by the President after consultation with the Members of the appropriate congressional committees. The appointment of private citizens was discontinued after 1987 in accordance with the group's redesignation as the U.S. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control.

Members

118th Congress

117th Congress

116th Congress

''Source:''

References

External links

Official Website of the United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control
{{United States congressional committees Narcotics Control Narcotics Control Drug policy organizations based in the United States 1985 establishments in the United States