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communities, society, and taxpayers. Further, attaching criminal penalties to substance use alone Focus Area: Disrupting illicit finance networks to commercially disrupt drug trafficking operations and prevent illicit substance from reaching communities in the United States. « « « « « « NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL STRATEGY 13 has contributed to lost lives, hope and opportunity. Untreated substance use disorder is overrepresented in the prison population; A study published in 2010 estimated that 65-percent of persons incarcerated had an active SUD. 18 The impact begins at arrest and continues through incarceration and after release back into the community. Arrest and incarceration for crimes related to substance use and possession disproportionately affect Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. According to an analysis of National Registry data through midOctober of 2016, African Americans may be nearly five times as likely to go to prison for drug possession as Whites, and data on exoneration outcomes suggest innocent Black people are about 12 times more likely to be convicted of drug crimes than innocent White people.19 The arrest and incarceration of people who use drugs (PWUD) has not only led to significant harms in BIPOC communities, but it increases risks of overdose as well. Upon release, incarcerated individuals are at a meaningfully elevated risk to die from an overdose than the general population.20,21 It is clear that the criminal justice system must play an important role in ensuring that people within its custody or supervision and upon reentry who use drugs do not overdose and instead have access to the continuum of services and support. Data and Research The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to employing a multi-faceted and evidence-based approach to policy-making as directed in the Presidential Memorandum on scientific integrity and evidence-based policymaking. 22 This is particularly significant in the area of drug policy where the ultimate impact is typically measured in American lives. Timely and accurate data are essential to grasp the extent and evolving nature of the drug problem, guide policy, assess the effectiveness of our nation’s efforts, and continually improve these efforts over time. Data systems and research to generate this information must be maintained, enhanced, and supplemented so drug control practitioners, researchers, and policy-makers are continually informed by the most up to date and accurate information, while also protecting privacy and confidentiality. Further, when well communicated, such data can help inform the American public as to the types of policies and programs most likely to successfully address substance use challenges in their own communities. Considering the costs of drug use to society, which have vastly increased due to the opioid epidemic over the past decade, our data systems lack the timeliness, scope and precision required for the most impactful national response. As we assess the data and research landscape to address the Administration’s commitment to implementing evidence-based drug policy, we have much more work to do to close information and knowledge gaps. This chapter focuses on three themes: strengthening existing data systems, establishing new data systems and analytical methods to fill gaps, and enhancing the utility of drug data for policymakers, program developers and administrators, practitioners, and researchers. It concludes with recommendations for sustaining data systems and research to inform drug control policy. Focus Area: Improving data collection, particularly for non-fatal overdoses, to obtain a full picture of overdoses in America and identify people who need substance use treatment. « « « « « « 14 NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL STRATEGY Specific Goals and Measuring Federal Performance Accountability is critical to success. With a Federal Drug Control Budget of $40 billion, it is vital to the national interest that the Strategy’s policies and plans are evaluated as they progress. To evaluate the effectiveness of the Nation’s drug policy efforts, and assess the progress in implementing the Strategy, the Biden-Harris Administration established seven goals to be achieved by 2025. These goals, measured against a baseline of 2020, across the gamut of drug policy issues, including a general goal to reduce illicit substance use and enhance public health and safety, as well as other specific public health and supply reduction issues. Each of these longrange, comprehensive goals is accompanied by quantifiable and measurable objectives, with specific annual targets. Please refer to the National Drug Control Strategy: Performance Review System (PRS) Report for a detailed discussion of these goals, objectives and targets. The following are the specific strategic goals and objectives for the Nation to reduce the demand for and availability of illicit drugs and their consequences: 1. Illicit substance use is reduced in the United States. o Objective 1: The number of drug overdose deaths is reduced by 13-percent by 2025. o Objective 2: The percentage of people meeting criteria for each of cocaine, opioid, and/or methamphetamine use disorders are reduced by 25-percent by 2025. 2. Prevention efforts are increased in the United States. o Objective 1: Past 30-day alcohol use among young 

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