From the U.S. Government Accountability Office, www.gao.gov

Transcript for: 2021 High Risk Update: Drug Misuse

Description: Drug misuse has harmful social and economic effects and has
been linked to an increasing number of deaths. As a result, we added
drug misuse to our 2021 High Risk List. GAO's Triana McNeil explores.

Related GAO Works: GAO-21-119SP, High-Risk Series: Dedicated Leadership
Needed to Address Limited Progress in Most High-Risk Areas

Released: March 2021 

[Video with GAO's Triana McNeil discussing Drug Misuse] 

[Words on Screen:] National rates of drug misuse have steadily increased
over the past two decades. This rise represents a serious risk to public
health, including a significant loss of life. In addition to other
harmful effects to society and our economy, some put the costs in the
billions. The federal government has an important leadership role in
addressing this problem. However, there are a number of actions that it
needs to take. For example, the federal government needs to develop and
implement a national drug control strategy that prioritizes its efforts,
lays out needed coordination among federal agencies, other levels of
government, and private sector partners. And, the strategy needs to lay
out measures that it's going to take to assess the effectiveness of
these efforts. This is why we've added national efforts to prevent,
respond to, and recover from drug misuse to GAO's 2021 High Risk List.

Find out more, check out our report GAO-21-119SP at: GAO.gov