Recommendation: The DEA Administrator should develop and implement additional ways to use algorithms in analyzing ARCOS and other data to more proactively identify problematic drug transaction patterns. (Recommendation 1)

Agency: Department of Justice: Drug Enforcement Administration
Status: Open
Priority recommendation

Comments: DOJ agreed with this recommendation and DEA stated it will continue to examine a variety of technologies to analyze ARCOS and other data and implement additional ways to use algorithms to more proactively identify problematic drug transaction patterns.

Recommendation: The DEA Administrator, in coordination with the department-wide efforts on data strategy, should establish and document a data governance structure to ensure DEA is maximizing its management of industry-reported drug transaction data. (Recommendation 2)

Agency: Department of Justice: Drug Enforcement Administration
Status: Open
Priority recommendation

Comments: DOJ agreed with this recommendation. As of September 2019, DEA officials stated that its Office of Information Systems' Chief Data Officer just recently started to work with DOJ and other components to develop a data strategy in response to the recently released department wide strategy, and has begun efforts to develop a governance structure. In November, 2019 DEA indicated it will continue to mature its data governance structure. The intent of this recommendation is for DEA to establish a formalized data governance structure to manage its collection and use of data used to support the Diversion Control Division's mission.

Recommendation: The DEA Administrator should establish outcome-oriented goals and associated measurable performance targets related to opioid diversion activities, using data it collects, to assess how the data it obtains and uses supports its diversion control activities. (Recommendation 3)

Agency: Department of Justice: Drug Enforcement Administration
Status: Open
Priority recommendation

Comments: DOJ neither agreed nor disagreed with this recommendation but DEA stated in November 2019, that it recognizes that measurable performance targets related to opioid diversion activities can serve as leading practices at different organizational levels including the program, project, or activity level. Our recommendation is intended to ensure that DEA can demonstrate the usefulness of the data it collects and uses to support its opioid diversion control activities.

Recommendation: The DEA Administrator, in consultation with industry stakeholders, should identify solutions to address the limitations of the ARCOS Enhanced Lookup Buyer Statistic Tool, to ensure registrants have the most useful information possible to assist them in identifying and reporting suspicious orders to DEA. (Recommendation 4)

Agency: Department of Justice: Drug Enforcement Administration
Status: Open
Priority recommendation

Comments: DOJ agreed with this recommendation and in November 2019, stated it has consulted with industry stakeholders and identified solutions to address the limitations of the tool.

Recommendation: The Director of ONDCP should develop and document key planning elements to help the agency meet the SUPPORT Act requirements for the 2020 National Drug Control Strategy and future Strategy iterations. These planning elements should include descriptions of resource investments, time frames, and any processes, policies, roles, and responsibilities needed to address each requirement. (Recommendation 1)

Agency: Executive Office of the President: Office of National Drug Control Policy
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Recommendation: The Director of ONDCP should—after developing and documenting key planning elements to meet the SUPPORT Act requirements—routinely implement an approach, based on these planning elements, to meet the requirements for the 2020 National Drug Control Strategy and future Strategy iterations. (Recommendation 2)

Agency: Executive Office of the President: Office of National Drug Control Policy
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Recommendation: The Director of ONDCP should develop and document key planning elements to help the agency meet the SUPPORT Act requirements to establish a Drug Control Data Dashboard that would include descriptions of resource investments, time frames, and any processes, policies, or roles, and responsibilities needed to address this requirement. (Recommendation 3)

Agency: Executive Office of the President: Office of National Drug Control Policy
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Recommendation: The Director of ONDCP should—after developing and documenting key planning elements—implement an approach, based on these planning elements, to meet the SUPPORT Act requirements to establish a Drug Control Data Dashboard. (Recommendation 4)

Agency: Executive Office of the President: Office of National Drug Control Policy
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Recommendation: The Secretary of the Treasury should ensure that the Office of Foreign Assets Control provides its partner agencies more specific guidance regarding Kingpin Act–related expenditure data to improve the consistency of data submitted by these agencies. This could include, for example, how agencies account for expenditures that support Kingpin Act investigations when they are not the lead and for what types of activities resource expenditure data are required. (Recommendation 1)

Agency: Department of the Treasury: Office of the Secretary
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Recommendation: The Secretary of the Treasury should ensure that the Office of Foreign Assets Control discloses information about limitations in the consistency and reliability of the agency expenditure data in its annual reports to Congress. (Recommendation 2)

Agency: Department of the Treasury: Office of the Secretary
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Recommendation: The Director of JIATF-West should establish a vital few performance measures that are consistently measured over time. (Recommendation 1)

Agency: Joint Interagency Task Force West
Status: Open

Comments: In November 2019, DOD officials reported that JIATF-W identified measures of performance in critical mission areas that have not previously been captured, including the Counter Narcotics Operations Center, Operational Intelligence, and Mission Support units. However, it is unclear whether the measures JIATF-W identified are higher-level and part of a "vital few" rather than just additional output-based performance measures. GAO will need to review the new measures to understand whether DOD/JIATF-W's actions are aligned with the intent of the recommendation. GAO will continue to follow-up with DOD/JIATF-W on the their progress toward implementing the recommendation.

Recommendation: The Director of JIATF-West should establish specific targets that set a minimal level of performance. (Recommendation 2)

Agency: Joint Interagency Task Force West
Status: Open

Comments: In November 2019, DOD stated JIATF-W updated its Assessment Instruction to codify baseline standards and processes for collecting metrics in its directorates and would send personnel to train to improve their ability to measure performance against DOD minimal standards. However, it is unclear whether JIATF-W has set targets. We will continue to follow up with DOD/JIATF-W on their progress toward implementing the recommendation.

Recommendation: The Secretary of Homeland Security should develop outcome-based performance measures for the DHS JTFs that are consistent. (Recommendation 3)

Agency: Department of Homeland Security
Status: Open

Comments: DHS stated it concurred with the GAO recommendation. In December 2019, DHS officials stated it is overseeing the implementation of measures that contain outcome-based direction for assessing counter drug operations effects, which requires a phased approach, and added that DHS hopes to achieve two consecutive years of consistent reporting of performance measures. The estimated completion date for addressing this recommendation is June 2020. GAO will continue to follow-up with DHS on its progress towards implementing the recommendation.

Recommendation: The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Chief of the National Guard Bureau take steps to ensure it issues a manual to accompany Chief National Guard Bureau Instruction 3100.01A, National Guard Counterdrug Support, by June 2019. (Recommendation 3)

Agency: Department of Defense
Status: Open

Comments: DOD concurred with our recommendation and stated that the National Guard Bureau had begun updating Chief of the National Guard Bureau Instruction 3100.01A to comply with the most recent published Secretary of Defense guidance and that they planned to expedite the issuance of the accompanying manual. In August 2020, DOD provided GAO with a draft of the manual; however, officials from the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counternarcotics and Global Threats noted that the manual was still being reviewed within DOD and expected that it would be finalized by the end of December 2020.

Recommendation: The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counternarcotics and Global Threats, in coordination with the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, assess the revised process for reviewing states' plans for their counterdrug activities, and take actions based on the assessment to ensure the plans are approved by the Secretary of Defense before funding is provided to state counterdrug programs, as statutorily required. (Recommendation 4)

Agency: Department of Defense
Status: Open

Comments: DOD concurred with our recommendation and stated that the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counternarcotics and Global Threats would continue to work with the National Guard Bureau to improve the State Plans review process for fiscal year 2020 and beyond. DOD's response noted that State Plans Guidance will reiterate that, in accordance with statute, funding may not be provided for a State's counterdrug program until the Secretary of Defense has approved its plan. In September 2019, DOD officials from the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counternarcotics and Global Threats provided information showing improvements in the timing of the review process for approval of the State Plans, but noted more needed to be done in order to ensure all State Plans were approved by the Secretary of Defense prior to funding being provided to State counterdrug programs. In January 2020, officials from the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counternarcotics and Global Threats stated they were continuing to monitor the updated process for fiscal year 2021 and hoped for further improvements.

Recommendation: The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Chief of the National Guard Bureau incorporate the strategic counternarcotics priorities, to be outlined in DOD's counternarcotics and global threats strategic framework, into the National Guard Bureau's funding distribution process. (Recommendation 5)

Agency: Department of Defense
Status: Open

Comments: DOD concurred with our recommendation and stated that officials from the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counternarcotics and Global Threats would work with the National Guard Bureau to support its efforts to incorporate and align DOD strategic priorities into its planning and resource allocation processes. In February 2020, DOD documents noted that this recommendation was assigned to the Counterdrug Advisory Counsel and Threat Based Resourcing Model Target Team for action and estimated a December 2020 completion date.

Recommendation: In order to ensure that federal efforts to prevent the abuse and misuse of prescription pain relievers are an effective and efficient use of limited government resources, the Director of ONDCP should establish outcome metrics and identify resources for conducting outcome evaluations for the national education campaigns about prescription drug abuse and safe storage and disposal proposed in the Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Plan.

Agency: Office of National Drug Control Policy
Status: Open

Comments: We requested an update from ONDCP on the status of its efforts to implement this recommendation. As of August, 2018, we have not received a response. We will update the status of this recommendation when we receive additional information.

Recommendation: In order to ensure that federal efforts to prevent the abuse and misuse of prescription pain relievers are an effective and efficient use of limited government resources, the Director of ONDCP should develop and implement a plan to evaluate outcomes from the proposed national education campaigns.

Agency: Office of National Drug Control Policy
Status: Open

Comments: We requested an update from ONDCP on the status of its efforts to implement this recommendation. As of August, 2018, we have not received a response. We will update the status of this recommendation when we receive additional information.

Recommendation: In order to ensure that federal efforts to prevent the abuse and misuse of prescription pain relievers are an effective and efficient use of limited government resources, the Director of ONDCP should ensure that federal agencies undertaking similar educational efforts leverage available resources and use coordination mechanisms to share information on the development of their efforts.

Agency: Office of National Drug Control Policy
Status: Open

Comments: We requested an update from ONDCP on the status of its efforts to implement this recommendation. As of August, 2018, we have not received a response. We will update the status of this recommendation when we receive additional information.