Drug Abuse: Research Shows Treatment Is Effective, but Benefits May Be Overstated

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reported on: (1) the level of federal support for drug abuse treatment activities; (2) the treatment approaches and settings most commonly used and what is known about an alternative approach--faith-based treatment; (3) research issues affecting drug abuse treatment evaluations; and (4) research findings on the effectiveness of drug treatment overall as well as what is known about the effectiveness of treatment for heroin, cocaine, and adolescent drug addiction. GAO did not comprehensively analyze the extensive literature on drug treatment research methodologies and study results, independently evaluate the effectiveness of drug treatment programs, or verify the results reported in the studies it reviewed.