NCJ Number
137938
Date Published
1991
Length
22 pages
Annotation
The General Accounting Office (GAO) examined funding trends for extramural research grants related to drug abuse, trends that reflect changes in congressional appropriations and direction as well as discretionary actions.
Abstract
The GAO looked at two agencies supporting such research, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and components of the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs (OJP). Three major questions were examined: how trends in funding for drug abuse research compare to other trends in Federal research support; trends in funding drug abuse research from 1973 to 1990, especially in the study of causes, prevention, and treatment; and what research is needed to understand the causes, prevention, and treatment of drug abuse. It was found that both NIDA and OJP dramatically increased funding for extramural drug abuse research grants in fiscal years 1987 through 1990, compared to such funding during the 1981-1986 period. The growth in drug abuse research funding contrasted with the general pattern of decline in Federal research support. Research, however, was only a very small fraction of the national drug control budget, between 3 and 4 percent of the total since 1989. Experts indicated several areas for further study: effectiveness of prevention methods, effect of drug policies at home and abroad, stages in the treatment process, and treatment effectiveness. An appendix lists experts who participated in the GAO evaluation. 8 figures