The conference included two days of presentations and discussions about many interesting topics. The main aim of this conference was to provide an arena for the world's preeminent scientists, leaders, and professionals working on issues related to methamphetamine to gather to discuss the intersection between methamphetamine use, public health, law enforcement, and civil society.

Among those who opened the conference and presented some greetings and keynotes are Minister of the Interior of the Czech Republic Ivan Langer; Chair (Director of International Development, The Thorne Group) Luciano Colonna and Lord Mayor of Prague Pavel Bém.

List of speakers:

• Ivan Langer, Minister of the Interior of the Czech Republic 
• Pavel Bém, Lord Mayor , Prague
• Apinun Aramrattana, MD, PhD Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand 
• Luciano Colonna, Chair, 2008 Global Conference on Methamphetamine, New York 
• Alex Wodak, Director, Alcohol and Drug Services Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, Australia 
• Tomas Zabransky, MD, PhD Research and Development Manager Centre for Addictology, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic

“The conference has been organized in response to an emerging consensus among experts that methamphetamine use is a complex problem that presents a significant challenge to existing philosophies and strategies. While local and national communities are under siege by a perceived methamphetamine epidemic rush to pursue solutions, many facets of the problem remain to be discovered, examined, debated, illuminated and verified,” said Luciano Colonna, the Director of International Development, The Thorne Group.

It is commonly agreed that methamphetamine is a dangerous drug whose use has negative consequences on both individuals and communities, and presents a substantial challenge to policymakers, law enforcement, and social service providers. It is important that our public resources be directed to deal with the problem on a number of fronts, including areas of research, prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and law enforcement.

For more information about this conference and about the program see:
www.globalmethconference.com  

For more information about the press conference contact Public relations Department:
public@mvcr.cz  

Jana Malíková
Spokeswoman, Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic