availability of those substances for licit medical and scientific purposes. 64. The Chairman, speaking on behalf of the entire Commission, congratulated the President of the Board on the excellent report of the Board. In view of the short time available to the Commission, he invited speakers to limit their interventions to particular issues. 65. Many representatives and observers commented on action taken by their Governments at the national level with respect to issues raised in the Board's report, which they commended for the clear picture it gave of the general international drug control situation. Several referred to new legislation that had been or was being enacted, particularly with respect to the control of psychotropic substances or in order to proceed with the ratification of the 1988 Convention. One observer, drawing attention to the inadequate infrastructure in many African countries for proper control of the import and export of medicaments, emphasized the additional responsibility of European countries to enact legislation that would permit them to monitor more closely exports of psychotropic substances to the region. In commenting on the Board's new responsibilities under the 1988 Convention, a number of representatives and observers called for adequate resources to be made available to the secretariat of the Board in order to permit it to carry out its mandate. 66. Several representatives referred to the need for reduction and elimination of illicit cultivation as stressed in the Board's report. It was - 17 - agreed that containment of the expansion of illicit cultivation should be a first objective and that greater assistance might be given to countries actively trying to reach that objective. One representative pointed to the difficulty his Government had encountered in the eradication of illicit coca bush cultivation, even after the 25-year limit that had been imposed for the 
**Analysis**
The text discusses international drug control, the work of the Board, and the efforts of governments to combat illicit cultivation and trade of psychotropic substances. While it does not explicitly address economic development or industry, it is related to the broader issue of health and well-being. The text also touches on the topic of international cooperation and the sharing of resources, which is a common theme in many of the categories.

**Category**
Health, International trade