This 2008 Policy Brief reviews the federal drug control budgets from FY2002 to FY2009, concluding that the budget did not fund programs that research suggests would be most effective in reducing drug demand and its associated damaging consequences. Examining spending data for the decade, the Brief concludes that the federal drug budget trend ran counter to what research would otherwise suggest is necessary for an effective federal drug control policy, emphasizing interdiction and source country programs over treatment, prevention, and domestic law enforcement.

Original Publication: February 2008

Download the PDF: FY02-09 Budget Emphasizes Least Effective Ingredients of Drug Policy