Kathleen Mathea Falco[1] (born October 15, 1944) is an American lawyer who is a expert in drug abuse prevention and treatment who served as the first U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs during the Carter Administration.

During her four years at the State Department, Falco also led the U.S. delegation to the annual meetings of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs.

From 2003-2009, she was an associate professor at the Weill Cornell Medical College Department of Public Health in New York and from 2005-2007, she was a Fellow at Harvard University's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs.

[3] Falco comments frequently in the media on drug abuse research and policy, including NPR, HBO, ABC, NBC, and PBS's NewsHour.

[9] In 2015, she co-hosted a two-day symposium at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies at Harvard University to address lessons from the United States' 40-year war on drugs.