Drug Misuse: Sustained National Efforts Are Necessary for Prevention, Response, and Recovery: [A Report to the Congress]: GAO Highlights

This report provides highlights findings from a study that analyzed drug misuse and deaths from overdoses for 2002–2018, reviewed selected empirical studies published from 2014–2019, and compared Government Accountability Office’s (GAO’s) High-Risk list criteria to findings and recommendations in over 75 GAO reports issued from Fiscal Year 2015 through March 2020. Findings indicate that since 2002, rates of drug misuse have increased; in 2018, an estimated 19% of the U.S. population misused or abused drugs, an increase from an estimated 14.7% in 2003; over 716,000 people have died of a drug overdose since 2002, and in 2018 alone, over 67,000 people died as a result of a drug overdose; and although the number of drug overdose deaths in 2018 decreased compared to 2017, drug misuse in the United States continued to rise. The need for a strategic, coordinated, and effective national response with key sustained leadership from federal agencies is emphasized, and opportunities to strengthen the federal government’s efforts to address the drug problem are identified. Finally, the potential impact of the severe public health and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on drug misuse is noted. U.S. Government Accountability Office CLICK HERE