In  this role, the office is responsible for (1) developing a national drug  control policy, (2) developing and applying specific goals and  performance measurements to evaluate the effectiveness of national drug  control policy and National Drug Control Program agencies’ programs,  (3) overseeing and coordinating the implementation of the national drug  control policy, and (4) assessing and certifying the adequacy of the  budget for National Drug Control Programs. ONDCP and Other Federal Agencies Have Not Fully Achieved 2010 Strategy Goals; ONDCP Has Established a Mechanism to Monitor Progress

		Although Limited Progress Has Been Made for Some Goals, None of the National Drug Control Strategy Goals Have Been Fully Achieved

In the 2010 National Drug Control Strategy, ONDCP established seven  goals related to reducing illicit drug use and its consequences to be  achieved by 2015. As of May 2016, our analysis indicates that ONDCP  and federal agencies have made moderate progress toward achieving  one goal, limited progress on three goals, and no demonstrated progress  on the remaining three goals. ONDCP officials stated that they intend to  report on updated progress toward meeting the strategic goals in summer  2016. ONDCP Established a System to Monitor Progress toward Strategy Goals

In March 2013, we reported that ONDCP established the Performance  Reporting System (PRS) to monitor and assess progress toward meeting  Strategy goals and objectives and issued a report describing the system  with its 2012 Strategy. These PRS measures were established to help assess progress towards  each objective. As part of our review for our March 2013 report, we assessed the PRS  measures for the Strategy’s seven objectives and found them to be  generally consistent with attributes of effective performance management  identified in our prior work as important for ensuring performance  measures demonstrate results and are useful for decision making. The groups assessed the validity of the measures and  evaluated data sources, among other things. ONDCP released its most recent annual PRS report in November 2015. Total Federal Spending for Drug Control Programs Has Increased since FY 2007

		Federal Drug Control Spending on Treatment and Prevention Increased, While Law Enforcement and Interdiction Spending Remain Relatively Constant

According to ONDCP, federal drug control spending increased from $21.7  billion in FY 2007 to approximately $30.6 billion that was allocated for  drug control programs in FY 2016 as shown in figure 2. Though, total  federal drug control spending increased from FY 2007 through FY 2016,  spending on supply reduction programs, such as domestic law  enforcement, interdiction, and international programs remained relatively  constant at $13.3 billion in FY 2007 and $15.8 billion in FY 2016. However, federal spending for demand programs—treatment and  prevention steadily increased from FY 2007 through FY 2016 and  spending in these two programs went from $8.4 billion in FY 2007 to  $14.7 billion in FY 2016.
Why GAO Did This Study

Policymakers, health care providers, and the public are concerned about the nation's current drug epidemic and its effects, as drug overdose deaths surpassed auto accidents as the leading cause of death or injury in recent years. To help address national drug control policy efforts, ONDCP coordinates and oversees implementation of a National Drug Control Strategy to reduce illicit drug use, among other things.
This statement addresses (1) what progress has been made toward achieving National Drug Control Strategy goals and how ONDCP monitors progress and (2) trends in federal drug control spending.
This statement is based upon findings GAO reported in March 2013 and December 2015, analysis of ONDCP's Budget and Performance Summaries and selected updates in 2016. For the updates, GAO analyzed publically available data sources that ONDCP uses to assess progress on Strategy goals, reviewed ONDCP Performance Reporting System reports, and interviewed ONDCP officials.

What GAO Found

The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and federal agencies have made mixed progress toward achieving the goals articulated in the 2010 National Drug Control Strategy (Strategy) and ONDCP has established a mechanism to monitor and assess progress. In the Strategy, ONDCP established seven goals related to reducing illicit drug use and its consequences by 2015. As of May 2016, our analysis indicates that ONDCP and federal agencies have made moderate progress toward achieving one goal, limited progress on three goals, and no progress on the three other three goals. Overall, none of the goals in the Strategy have been fully achieved. In March 2013, GAO reported that ONDCP established the Performance Reporting System to monitor and assess progress toward meeting Strategy goals and objectives. GAO reported that the system's 26 new performance measures were generally consistent with attributes of effective performance management. A 2015 ONDCP report on progress towards these measures similarly identified some progress towards overall achievements—some of the measures had met or exceeded targets, some had significant progress underway, and some had limited or no progress.
Federal drug control spending increased from $21.7 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2007 to approximately $30.6 billion in allocated funding in FY 2016 as shown in figure 1. Although total federal drug control spending increased from FY 2007 through FY 2016, spending on supply reduction programs, such as domestic law enforcement, interdiction, and international programs remained relatively constant at $13.3 billion in FY 2007 and $15.8 billion allocated in FY 2016. However, federal spending for—treatment and prevention has steadily increased from FY 2007 through FY 2016 and spending in these two programs went from $8.4 billion in FY 2007 to $14.7 billion allocated in FY 2016.

What GAO Recommends

GAO made a prior recommendation to ONDCP to assess overlap in drug prevention and treatment programs. ONDCP concurred and has implemented it. GAO is not making new recommendations in this testimony.