GAO: Federal Anti-Drug Programs Failing

GAO: Federal Anti-Drug Programs Failing

WASHINGTON, April 26 (UPI) — U.S. government agencies have not made progress on achieving most of the goals articulated in the 2010 National Drug Control Strategy, federal officials said.

The strategy identified seven goals involved in reducing drug use among teens by 15 percent by 2015. The Government Accountability Office said the Office of National Drug Control Policy and other federal agencies had made progress toward one goal but no progress on four others as of March.

The GAO found there has been an increase in the rate of reported marijuana use, but that was offset by decreases in the rates of reported use of other drugs.

Drug abuse prevention and treatment programs are fragmented across 15 federal agencies and provide some overlapping services, which could result in duplication of efforts, the report said.

Specifically, GAO identified overlap in 59 of the 76 programs included in its review.

“These programs could provide or fund one or more drug abuse prevention or treatment service that at least one other program could also provide or fund, either to similar population groups or to reach similar program goals,” the report said. “Such fragmentation and overlap may result in inefficient use of resources among programs providing similar services.”

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