Action Needed To Improve Management and Effectiveness of Drug Abuse Treatment

The Nation's drug abuse treatment system has grown from a handful of clinics in the early 1970's to a network of over 3,200 treatment units. Nationwide, approximately $518 million is spent annually on treatment programs. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) supports about 1,500 clinics at an annual cost of $130 million. A GAO review identified a number of program policies and management problems that operated as disincentives to providing adequate treatment to the greatest number of drug abusers and revealed that NIDA spends millions on some treatment methods that may not be effective.