Drug Control

Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO evaluated the effectiveness of the assistance the United States provided to foreign countries participating in the International Narcotics Control Program.

GAO reviewed programs in six countries and found that: (1) economic, political, and cultural conditions limited the countries' ability to deal with drug production and trafficking; (2) corruption or intimidation of law enforcement and judicial officials hampered efforts to curb drug production and trafficking; (3) drug cultivation and use were legal in some countries; and (4) non-traditional demands for illegal drugs have increased. GAO also found that: (1) if drug control programs were effective in one area, drug traffickers usually established new sources of supply; (2) the Agency for International Development's (AID) area development programs were only partially successful because of difficulties in identifying substitute crops and integrating enforcement and control programs with development projects; and (3) AID programs also promote the extension of government administration and services in major narcotics-growing areas. GAO believes that the six countries need to: (1) establish clear and quantifiable goals and objectives; (2) periodically evaluate program performance; and (3) improve their aerial survey techniques.