The meeting of CICAD’s Group of Experts on Chemical Substances and Pharmaceutical Products will take place in Brasilia, Brazil, May 21-23, 2024, under the Chair of Brazil and Vice-Chair of Uruguay.

The meetings of the Group of Experts provide a forum that brings together representatives from OAS member states to exchange expertise on the control of precursor chemicals and other relevant chemical substances.

The meetings of the Group pursue the following objectives:

• To facilitate the exchange of up-to-date information, knowledge, best practices, and experiences related to the control of chemical substances.
• To identify emerging and persistent threats on the topic and determine collaborative strategies based on best practices.
• To develop evidence-based reference materials and tools to support OAS member states in addressing regional challenges, strengthening their institutional capacities, and implementing best practices and standardized procedures.
• To foster cooperation among different national and international agencies and stakeholders.

The topics to be discussed during the meeting include regional trends in illicit drug manufacturing and precursor chemical trafficking; challenges faced during the investigation and prosecution of precursor chemicals cases; inspections of companies that use precursor chemicals; emerging and current threats, such as ketamine, clandestine MDMA/MDA laboratories, illicitly manufactured fentanyl and diverted medical fentanyl; as well as the use of portable equipment, such as Raman and FT-IR, for the rapid detection and identification of synthetic drugs, NPS, and their precursor chemicals.