The Northern Marianas is amenable to being designated a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area if it can help eradicate drug trafficking in the Commonwealth.
Photo: RNZ/ Nick Monro
That's according to Governor Ralph Torres who said he supported Senate President Arnold Palacios' petition to include the CNMI as one of several designated trafficking areas in the US.
Each High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area receives a base amount of funding ranging from $US3.1 million to $US14.6 million each year.
The funding is officially intended to support anti-drug trafficking initiatives and drug rehabilitation initiatives for the region.
Since its inception, the program has designated at least one such Area in every state, including the US territories of Guam, US Virgin Islands, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Last month, Senator Palacios sent a letter to White House Office of National Drug Control Policy requesting that the Marianas be designated.