In 2008, an estimated 34billion euros was spent on the drugs problem in the EU. Much more needs to be done - and must be done - in the battle against the EU’s drugs problem. The EU must be more effective in its fight against drugs trafficking, and should call on Member States to be more ready to learn from each other’s experiences and to encourage cross-border dialogue between their local governments and cities. Following a six month-long inquiry, the Committee agree that the Member States should, as now, retain responsibility for their own drugs policies. They recommend that the new EU Strategy should concentrate on three key areas. Firstly, co-ordination, through Europol, of the fight against drug trafficking ensuring that any new measures actually reduce the supply of drugs and do not merely move trafficking elsewhere. Secondly, improvement of the collection, analysis, evaluation and distribution of information by the European Monitoring Centre. Thirdly, reliance on the EU’s public health obligations and use of public health duties to encourage Member States to devote more resources to harm reduction and to engage in dispassionate and evidence-based discussions on how best to treat the possession and use of drugs. The Committee believes that the creation of a new drugs strategy, lasting until 2020, should provide the perfect platform for a wider and better informed public debate on different Member States’ policies and approaches