NATIONAL 

DRUG CONTROL 

STRATEGY

Performance Reporting 

System

2020

Office of National Drug Control Policy

FEBRUARY 2020
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The National Drug Control Strategy (Strategy) and its annual updates present a clear and concise 

plan for substantially reducing the impact of the opioid crisis on the lives of Americans. The 

Strategy also addresses the re-emerging threats posed by cocaine and methamphetamine and 

the growing threat of synthetic drugs. The Strategy provides the Nation with policies to address 

source country drug production with international partners, interdict drugs on the high seas, stop 

their trafficking across U.S. borders, support domestic law enforcement in disrupting and 

dismantling drug trafficking organizations, prevent drug use, and treat those with substance use 

disorders (SUD) and help them to maintain long-term recovery.

To provide an assessment on the annual status of the Nation’s progress in implementing the 

Strategy, the Administration has established nine goals to be achieved by 2022 as measured 

against a baseline of 2017, the first year of the Administration. These goals cover drug-induced 

mortality—the Administration’s number one priority; educating the public about the dangers of 

drug use; expanding access to evidence-based treatment; decreasing the over-prescribing of 

opioid medications; and reducing the availability of illicit drugs in the United States through 

reduced production, increased seizure trends, and increased prices and reduced purity. Each of 

these goals is accompanied by aggressive, but achievable, objectives with annual targets through 

2022.

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. The number of Americans dying from a drug overdose is significantly reduced within five

years.

• Reduce the number of drug overdose deaths by 15 percent by 2022.

2. Educate the public, especially adolescents, about drug use, specificallyopioids.

• Reduce the rate of past year use of any illicit drug among youth by 15 percent by 

2022.

• Reduce the rate of past year use of opioids among youth by 15 percent by2022.

3. Evidence-based addiction treatment, including Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for

opioid addiction, is more accessible nationwide.

• Increase the percentage of specialty treatment facilities providing any MAT for

opioid use disorder by 10 percent by 2022.a

• Increase the percentage of practitioners certified to administer, prescribe, and

dispense buprenorphine for opioid use disorder to 10 percent by 2022.
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4. Increase mandatory prescriber education and continuing training on best practices and 

current clinical guidelines.

• Increase the percentage of Federal prescribers that have completed continuing

education on best practices and current clinical guidelines in prescribing opioid 

medications by 50 percent by 2022.

5. Reduce nationwide opioid prescription fills.

• By increasing education and adherence to proper prescribing practices for effective 

painmanagementreduce nationwide opioid prescription fillsby 33percent by 2020 

and maintain that reduction in 2021 and 2022.

6. Increase Prescription Drug Monitoring Program interoperability and usage across the

country.

• Increase the number of states integrating electronic health records with their

Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs to 30 by 2022.

7. Significantly reduce the availability of illicit drugs in the United States bypreventing their 

production outside the United States.

• Reduce potential production of cocaine (pure metric tons) in Colombia by 42

percent by 2022.

• Reduce potential production of heroin (pure metric tons) in Mexico by 25 percent

by 2022.

8. Significantly reduce the availability of illicit drugs in the United States by disrupting their 

sale on the internet, and stopping theirflow into the country through the mail and express 

courier environments, and across our borders.

• Increase the amount of cocaine removals (in metric tons) in the transit zone by 10

percent by 2022.

• Increase the amount of seizures (in metric tons or kilograms) at the U.S. southern 

border by 10 percent by 2022 for each of the following drugs: cocaine, fentanyl, 

heroin, and methamphetamines.

• Increase the number of online drug vendor investigations by 30 percent by2022.

9. Illicit drugs are less available in the United States as reflected in increased price and

decreased purity as measured by price per pure gram.

• Increase the average price per pure gram of cocaine to $250 by2022.

• Increase the average price per pure gram of heroin to $1,400 by2022.
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• Increase the average price per pure gram of methamphetamine to $120by 2022

• Increase the cost of illicit fentanyl (purity not known) charged by dealers per 

kilogram to customers by 10 percent by 2022.

In 2018, the overall assessment of initial progress toward achieving the Goals and Objectiveswas 

mixed. For several Goals and their supporting Objectives there was substantial progress made 

toward achieving theirtargets in the past year. For others there was either no progress orthe trend 

actually worsened somewhat. This is to be expected in the first years of a multi-pronged strategy 

to address a complicated and long-standing problem. The specific assessment for each goal and 

its objective(s) is discussed under the section for each goal in this Report.

If the Nation is successful in achieving these goals and objectives within five years, then the Nation

will have made a substantial impact on the current drug crisis and improved the lives of all 

Americans.
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INTRODUCTION

The SUPPORT for Patient and Communities Act1 calls for the following:

• Comprehensive, research-based, long-range, quantifiable goals for reducing illicit drug 

use, and the consequences of illicit drug use in the UnitedStates.

• Annual quantifiable and measurable objectives and specific targets to accomplish longterm quantifiable goals that the Director determines may be achieved during each year 

beginning on the date on which the Strategy is submitted.

• A description of how each goal was determined, including:

• A description of each required consultation and a description of how such consultation 

was incorporated; and

• Data, research, or other information used to inform the determination to establishthe

goal.

The Strategy and this Performance Reporting System (PRS) satisfies these statutory requirements. 

In addition, the formulation of the PRS is consistent with attributes of effective performance 

management identified by the General Accounting Office.2

The PRS Report is one of seven documents the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)

prepares to comply with the requirements related to producing the Strategy:

• National Drug Control Strategy—is the primary policy document and sets forth a 

comprehensive plan for the year to reduce illicit drug use and the consequences of such 

illicit drug use in the United States by limiting the availability of, and reducingthe demand 

for, illegal drugs. It is supported by the other three documents.

• National Drug Control Strategy: Budget and Performance Summary—presents the details of 

the President’s resource requirements to implement the Strategy and to inform Congress 

and the public about the total amount proposed to be spent on all supply reduction, 

demand reduction, State, local, and tribal affairs, including any drug law enforcement, and 

other drug control activities by the FederalGovernment. There are 16 FederalDepartments 

and Agencies that have been designated by the ONDCP Director as National Drug Control 

Program agencies. Budget detail is provided at the program, project, and activity levels 

(the level at which theOffice of Management and Budget and the agencies requestfunding 

andCongress appropriates it).The report alsoprovidesdetailonagency-levelperformance 

metrics to enable assessment ofprogress toward achieving programmatic objectives.

• National Drug Control Strategy: Data Supplement—provides the data that enables an

1 21 U.S.C. §1705(c)

2 For example, see GAO, Tax Administration: IRS Needs to Further Refine Its Tax Filing Season Performance Measures, GAO-03-143

(Washington, D.C.: Nov. 22, 2002).
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assessment of current drug use and availability, impact of illicit drug use, and treatment 

availability. The more than 150 data tables provide national, state, local, and international 

data on drug use; attitudes and perceptions toward drug use; drug- induced morbidity and 

mortality; drug treatment; drug-related crime, including drugged driving; drug price and 

purity; cultivation and/or the production of drugs; and drug eradication andseizures.

• National Drug Control Strategy: Performance Reporting System—describes the Strategy’s 2-

year and 5-year performance measures and targets for each Strategy goal and objective 

established for reducing drug use, availability, and the consequences of druguse.

• National Drug Control Strategy: National Treatment Plan—articulates how the Federal 

departments and agencies and their key stakeholders atthe State, local, Tribal, and private 

sectors of society will expand treatment for SUD.

• NationalDrugControlStrategy:SouthwestBorderCounternarcoticStrategy—articulates the 

Government’s strategyforpreventingthe illegaltraffickingofdrugs acrossthe international 

border between the United States and Mexico, including through ports of entry (POE) and 

between POE on the border.

• National Drug Control Strategy: Northern Border Counternarcotic Strategy—articulates the 

Government’s strategyforpreventingthe illegaltraffickingofdrugs acrossthe international 

border between the United States and Canada, including through POE and between POE 

on the border.
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RATIONALE FOR ESTABLISHING THE STRATEGY GOALS

The Strategy features three primary lines of effort: Prevention, Treatment and Recovery, and 

Reducing the Availability of Illicit Drugs in the United States. Each section contains several priority 

areas for the National Drug Control Program to reduce the availability and use of illicit drugs in 

the United States and the consequences of this use. In order to assess the Strategy’s progress in 

achieving this mission, a set of goals and objectives were established and published in the 2019 

PRS Report and are integrated into the 2020 Strategy.

These goals are comprehensive, researched-based, long-range and quantifiable. They are 

comprehensive in that they cover all three areas of the Strategy. They are researched-based in 

that they are informed by the most current research, data, and subject matter expert knowledge. 

They are long-range in that end-states are set at five years (i.e., 2022) from the beginning of the 

Administration.3 They are quantifiable in that each of them can be measured with existing valid 

and reliable numeric data.

Each goal is supported by one or more objectives that are quantifiable and measurable and that 

are formulatedwithspecific targets that canbe tracked annually.Theseobjectivesarequantifiable 

in that each one is expressed in terms of a numeric increase or decrease in a measure of interest 

related to its accompanying goal. They are measurable in that each is supported by a readily 

available data system that reports results on an annual or more frequent schedule. Consistent 

with ONDCP’s authorizing statute, annual targets are set for each objective.

A description of how each goal and its supporting objective(s) was determined, including the data, 

research, or other information used to inform the determination to establish them, is discussed 

in the following paragraphs. The baseline for all of the Objectives is 2017, the first year of the 

Administration, except for three objectives for which the earliest data is for either 2018 or 2019. 

Development of the goals and objectives was an iterative process conducted by review of the 

latest research and data and consultation with subject matter experts within ONDCP and from the 

relevant National Drug Control Program Agencies. The 2019 PRS then underwent formal 

interagency review and concurrence priorto its release in May 2019; each subsequent iteration of 

the PRS also undergoes this review.

Given the current drug crisis facing America, and the President’s priorities, this Strategy continues

its strong bias toward action. The three lines of effort and their associated actions were 

determined by drawing upon the collective expertise at the Federal, State, local and Tribal levels 

by key stakeholders in the governmental, academic, civic, law enforcement, and public health 

communities. Their deep understanding of America’s drug crisis was fundamental to formulating 

the Strategy’s nine goals and has allowed us to better understand the complex interplay between 

the availability of drugs in the U.S. market and their use, anticipating changes in the drug 

environmentin both the public health and law enforcement domains, and adapting our actions to

3

For a few of the goals the period of performance is less than five years since the baseline year is more recent than 2017 due to

the availability of the relevant data.
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seize the initiative to make lasting progress against this historic challenge. Specifically, selection 

of Goals 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6, which are associated with the line of effort to prevent initiates to drug 

use, was informed by our Strategy consultations with public health experts whose research and 

clinical experience determined that addiction is a disease that must be prevented from the start, 

andpreventionismost effective whenitis carriedout overthe long-term withrepeatedevidencedbased interventions.

Similarly, selection of Goals 1 and 3, which relate to the treatment and recovery line of effort, was 

informed by our Strategy consultations with and research conducted by public health and 

treatment experts who understand that addiction is a chronic disease that should be treated like 

any other medical condition.

Finally, selection of those goals related to addressing the availability of illicit drugs, Goals 1, 7, 8, 

and 9, was informed by consultations with Federal, State and local and Tribal government and law 

enforcement organizations that clearly demonstrated that almost all illicit drugs are produced 

outside the United States and then trafficked across the borders or via international mail or 

express consignment carriers. This evidence informed our selection of the goals that will that will 

be achieved by aggressively reducing the availability of illicit drugs in American communities.

Goal 1: The number of Americans dying from a drug overdose is significantly reduced within 

five years.

Although the Strategy does not explicitly prioritize the goals, clearly Goal 1 is the Administration’s 

top priority. The country is currently in the grips of the worst drug epidemic in its history, driven 

by deaths involving opioids, including the misuse of opioid medications and the use of heroin and 

illicitly manufactured fentanyl and its analogues. All of the Strategy’s goals and objectives, if 

achieved, should indicate a reduction in drug-related deaths. The purpose of all of the programs 

and activities undertaken by National Drug Control Program Agencies to achieve the goals and 

objectives is ultimately to reduce drug-related mortality.

Objective 1: Reduce the number of drug overdose deaths by 15 percent by 2022. Drug overdose 

deaths have been rising steadily since 1998, but especially steeply in the past 10 years. In setting 

the long-range target for this objective, the Administration considered what was a reasonable and 

achievable rate based upon the trend in the recent data on drug-related mortality from the 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Provisional data are published each monthfor 

the preceding 12-month period; final estimates for the preceding year are published in December 

ofthat year.This objective is consistentwith a similar one established by the Department ofHealth 

and Human Services (HHS).

Goal 2: Educate the public, especially adolescents, about drug use, specifically opioids.

Preventing drug use before it starts is the surest and most cost effective way to reduce the demand 

forillicitdrugs andavoid the consequencesoftheiruse, especiallymortality.Theuse ofillicit drugs 

typically begins during adolescence. Delaying or preventing the initiation of these substances
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Yields benefits in the form of reduced SUD in later life. Therefore, it is essential to support

prevention efforts that target youth. The Administration has been supporting focused messaging 

to prevent youth drug use, especially initiation of opioid misuse, initially via the RxAwareness

campaign, and subsequently with the Truth About Opioids campaign. These efforts are supported 

by universal, selective, and indicated primary prevention programming in schools.

Objective 1: Reduce the rate of past year use of any illicit drug among youth by 15 percent by 2022 

and Objective 2: Reduce the rate of past year use of opioids among youth by 15 percent by 2022. In 

establishing the 5-yeartargets for reducing any illicit drug use and misuse of opioid among youth, 

the Administration assessed the trends in youth drug use over the past decades as measured by 

the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), and determined what was reasonable and 

achievable. Changes (i.e., increases or decreases) ofthis magnitude had been observed in the past 

and were deemed achievable within five years.

Goal 3: Evidence-based addiction treatment, including Medication-Assisted Treatment for 

opioid addiction, is more accessible nationwide.

There are several evidence-based treatment modalities available for individuals with a SUD, 

including cognitive-behavioral therapy, contingency management, the matrix model (for 

stimulants), family behavior therapy, and MAT. Proper use of these treatment modalities save 

lives. MAT is especially effective for treating opioid use disorder (OUD); however, MAT is notbeing 

used as widely among treatment programs as it could be. In addition, opportunities to screenfor 

SUD and initiate MAT are often missed, such as when patients present for medical care for SUD or 

injection-related illnesses such as endocarditis, skin infections, abscesses, or hepatitis.

Objective 1: Increase the percentage of specialty treatment facilities providing any MAT by 10 percent 

by 2022 b. The Administration has implemented efforts to increase screening for SUDs, encourage 

those with an SUD to seek and obtain treatment, reduce barriers to treatment availability, and 

encourage adoption of MAT for those with an OUD. Too few specialty treatment providers offer 

MAT. Data from the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services indicate that only 10 

percent of such facilities do so. Given the increased effort to encourage adoption of MAT, the 

Administration deemed a doubling of this percentage within 5 years to be reasonable and 

achievable.

Objective 2: Increase the percentage of healthcare workers certified to administer, prescribe and 

dispense buprenorphine for opioid use disorder to 10 percent by 2022c

. Buprenorphine, one of three

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved MATs, is an opioid partial agonist and requires a 

waiver from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) so that practitioners can administer this

opioid medication in settings outside of specialty treatment facilities (e.g., physician offices). 

Currently, according toadministrativedataasofDecember 2019 fromtheDEA, 4percentof eligible 

practitionershavesucha waiver.GiventheurgencyoftheopioidepidemicandtheAdministration’s 

increased efforts to encourage adoption of buprenorphine, the Administration deemed that an 

increase within 5 years to 10 percent of practitioners with a waiver was achievable.
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Goal 4: Increase mandatory prescriber education and continuing training on best practices 

and current clinical guidelines.

The overprescribing and misuse of opioid medications were central to the genesis of the current 

opioid epidemic and remain as significant challenges to ending it. It is vitally important to saving 

lives that practitioners who prescribe opioid medications obtain continuing training on the most 

current information on best practices and clinical guidelines for their use. While it would be ideal 

if all practitioners were to receive such mandatory continuing training, the Administration has 

required all Federal prescribers do so. Administrative data collected by the relevant Federal 

agencies (i.e.,BureauofPrisons,Department ofDefense, IndianHealthService,National Institutes 

of Health, and the Department of Veterans Affairs) is used to track progress in achieving this Goal 

and its supporting Objective.

Objective1:IncreasethepercentageofFederalprescribersthathavecompletedcontinuingeducation 

on best practices and current clinical guidelines in prescribing opioid medications by 50 percent by 

2022. Consultations with the Federal agencies that employ practitioners who prescribe, dispense 

or administer opioid medications established that in 2017 an estimated 48 percent of these 

professionalshadobtained therequiredcontinuing education.These same consultations resulted 

in a consensus opinion that within 5 years this percentage could be increased by 50percent.

Goal 5: Reduce nationwide opioid prescription fills by one-third within three years.

While opioid medications are critically important to treating pain under a variety of conditions 

there is little doubt that they have been overprescribed and often diverted into the illicit drug 

market. The Administration is committed to curbing overprescribing and saving lives by reducing 

unnecessary opioid prescription fills.

Objective 1: By increasing education and adherence to proper prescribing practices for effective pain 

management reduce nationwide number of opioid prescription fills by 33 percent by 2020 and 

maintain that reduction in 2021 and 2022. In setting the annual targets for this objective, 

consultation with relevant Federal agencies highlighted the need to avoid reducing prescription 

opioid fills (as measured by morphine milligram equivalents (MME)) to the point where patients 

with legitimate need for them are adversely affected. Consensus expert opinion concluded that it 

would be reasonable to reduce such prescription fills by one-third by 2019 and then hold them 

stable through 2022. Data to track this objective are obtained from IQVIA, a commercial firm that 

obtains prescription data from the majority of dispensers for market analysis purposes. HHS’ 

contracts with IQVIA to obtain access to the data. In tracking this objective, HHS’ analysts exclude 

opioid prescriptions dispensed in the long-term care channel and buprenorphineprescriptions.

Goal 6:IncreasePrescriptionDrugMonitoringPrograminteroperability and usage across the 

country.

States have made great strides in establishing Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMP), 

which help to ensure that medications prescribed by different practitioners do not have adverse
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interactions when taken together or that individuals are not attempting to fraudulently obtain 

controlled prescription drugs(i.e., doctor shopping). PDMPs can save lives. While most

neighboring PDMPs can now electronically communicate with one another, the emphasis on

interoperability is increasingly focusedonintegratingelectronichealthrecords (EHR)withPDMPs,

thereby increasing patient safety. In coordination with states, Federal partners, PDMP

software/platform vendors and other stakeholders, the Administration is encouraging such

integration.

Objective 1: Increase the number of states integrating electronic health records with their PDMPs to 

30 by 2022. The Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) has the Federal lead for 

supporting state efforts to develop, implement, maintain, and enhance PDMPs. ONDCP consulted 

with BJA subject matter experts to determine the priority in enhancing interoperability among 

PDMPs and whether a measurable and quantifiable objective could be developed. The consensus 

was to integrate EHR with PDMPs. BJA’s PDMP contractor began collecting data on such efforts in 

2019 and will continue to do so. Consequently, the estimate of 15 states that had integrated EHR 

into their PDMP by 2019 was established as the baseline measure and a doubling of that number 

by 2022 was set as the achievable end-date target.

Goal 7: Significantly reduce the availability ofillicit drugs in the United States by preventing 

their production outside the United States.

A well-balanced Strategy requires efforts to not only reduce the demand for illicit drugs but to 

reduce their availability. It is not enough to implement policies and programs to prevent youth 

from initiating the use of illicit drugs or to provide treatment to those with SUDs. A well-balanced 

Strategy must also address the production and trafficking of illicit drugs destined for the United 

States. The current goal and supporting objectives focus on the production of two plant-based 

illicitdrugs, cocaine andheroin.Colombia andMexico,respectively, are the sourcesofthemajority 

of cocaine and heroin consumed in the United States. Successfully reducing the production of 

these illicit crops will save lives.

Objective 1: Reduce potential production of cocaine from Colombia by 42 percent by 2022. The 

United States each year estimates the hectares of arable Colombian land under coca cultivation, 

the yield from those crops, and the amount of cocaine that can potentially be produced. The 2019 

PRS contained an estimate of 925 pure metric tons could have been produced potentially in 2017. 

However,the Government continually assesses the many variables that enterinto calculating this 

estimate. Occasionally, adjustments are made to prior estimates based upon theseassessments. 

Following such an assessment, the 2017 estimate has been revised downward to 900 puremetric 

tons. This adjustment necessitated a recalculation of the 5-year target from 537 pure metric tons 

to 522. This target keeps us on pace to meet the bilateral goal between Colombia and the United 

States to reduce cocaine potential production by 50 percent by 2023.

Objective 2: Reduce potential production of heroin from Mexico by 25 percent by 2022. Similarly, the 

United States each year estimates the hectares of arable Mexican land under opium poppy 
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cultivation,the yield from those crops, andthe amount of heroin that canpotentially beproduced.
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U.S. and Mexican officials jointly agreed upon the 5-year target for this objective.

Goal 8: Significantly reduce the availability of illicit drugs in the United States by disrupting 

their sale on the internet, and stopping their flow into the country through the mail and 

express courier environments, and across our borders.

Most of the illicit drugs consumed in the United States are produced in foreign countries and 

smuggled into the United States. Cocaine and heroin are sourced from Latin America and 

trafficked through Central America into Mexico and across the Southwest Border and other POE 

or by maritime conveyances via the eastern Pacific, Gulf, or Caribbean. The majority of 

methamphetamine is produced in clandestine laboratories in Mexico from precursor chemicals 

obtained from third-party countries and smuggled into Mexico. While synthetic drugs, such as 

fentanylanditsanalogues,arepurchasedovertheinternetandmaileddirectly toconsumers inthe 

United States from foreign countries or produced in Mexico and smuggled across the Southwest 

Border. The Administration has increased efforts to detect and stop this illicittrafficking. Stopping 

these drugs from entering the country via any of these routes will save lives.

Objective 1: Increase the amount of cocaine removals in the transit zone by 10 percent by 2022 

(assumes that drug flow remains stable and the removal rate is increased). The majority of cocaine 

consumedintheUnitedStates isproducedin Colombia.Muchofthis cocaine ismovedthrough the 

transit zone via a variety of maritime vessels. One of the missions of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) 

is to interdict these shipments, thereby reducing the amount of cocaine ultimately available for 

consumption in the United States. The USCG documents all of its seizures and reports them each 

year. Consultation with subject matter experts determined that a 10 percent increase in cocaine 

seizures in the transit zone by 2022 is an achievable target.

Objective 2: Increase the amount of drug seizures at U.S. borders and ports of entry by 10 percent by 

2022 (assumes that drug flow remains stable and the seizure rate is increased). Much of the illicit 

drugs, including cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl, entering the United States are 

smuggled across the borders orthrough POE. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)is responsible 

for securing the borders and POEs against drug smuggling and other illegal activity. CBP

documents all drug seizures at the borders and POEs and reports them each year. Consultation 

with subject matter experts determined that a 10 percent increase in seizures of each of the four 

drugs at the borders and POEs by 2022 is an achievable target.

Objective 3: Increase the number of online drug vendor investigations by 30 percent by 2022. 

Trafficking of illicit drugs, especially synthetic drugs such as fentanyl and its many analogues, has 

increasingly been accomplished via direct sales to consumers over the internet’s Dark Web. 

Starting in 2018, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) dedicated enhanced resources to 

investigating and prosecuting illicit online drug vendors. In 2018, it investigated 98 such cases. A 

target of 127 investigations by 2022 was deemed by the Administration to be reasonable and 

achievable.
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Goal 9: Illicit drugs are less available in the United States as reflected in increased price and 

decreased purity as measured by price per pure gram.

In general, the price per pure gram of a drug increases as the risk to traffickers increases, which is 

accomplished through crop eradication, interdiction, seizures, disrupting and dismantling 

criminal organizations, and other efforts. Typically, an increase in the price per pure gram of a 

drug suggests that it is less available as traffickers have to dilute its purity by adding adulterants 

in order to keep their retail distributers supplied with the same amount of “product” at the same 

street price. The DEA conducts undercover purchases of cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine 

that provide data on the price paid and the purity of each purchase. Data are reported by the DEA 

quarterly, with a six-month lag. If the United States is successful in achieving Goals 7 and 8, then 

an increase in the price and decrease in the purity of illicit drugs should result. Moreover, if Goals 2 

through 9 are accomplished, the Nation should see a substantial decline in drug-related mortality 

(Goal 1), the ultimate performance measure.

Objective 1: Increase the price per pure gram of cocaine to $250 by 2022. After several years of 

decline, there has been a resurgence in the cultivation of coca in Colombia and the production 

and transshipment of cocaine to the United States. The initiation of cocaine use in the United 

States has risen recently increasing concern of a return in its widespread use. An increase in the 

price of cocaine will result in less use as it becomes less affordable for many users. Consultation 

with subject matter experts suggested that a nearly two-thirds increase in the price per pure gram 

of cocaine within 5 years is achievable given U.S. Government efforts to reduce coca cultivation in 

Colombia and interdiction efforts in the transit zone and at U.S. borders and POEs.

Objective 2: Increase the price per pure gramof heroin to $1,400 by 2022. The increased use of heroin 

has been central to the current opioid epidemic. Recent years have seen an increase of opium 

poppy cultivation to record levels in Mexico. Consultation with subject matter experts suggests 

that a 20 percentincrease in thepriceperpure gram of heroinis achievable givenMexico’s renewed 

and vigorous commitment to eradicating the opium poppy crop.

Objective 3: Increase the price per pure gram of methamphetamine to $120 by 2022. Following the 

success ofthe Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Actin reducing domestic methamphetamine 

production, Mexican drug cartels began to increase importation of precursor chemicals and 

construct large-scale methamphetamine laboratories capable of producing a product of 

consistently high purity. Today, the majority of methamphetamine consumed in the United States 

is sourced from Mexico. Consultation with subject matter experts suggests that a more than

doubling in the price per pure gram of methamphetamine is achievable given aggressive law 

enforcement action against Mexican-based laboratories and increased seizures at theSouthwest 

Border.

Objective 4: Increase the cost of illicit fentanyl (purity not known) charged by dealers per kilogram to 

customer by 10 percent by 2022. In 2018, the Nation saw the first reduction in deaths involving

opioid medications since the beginning of the current opioid epidemic. However, deaths
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Involving the illicitly manufactured synthetic opioid fentanyl and its analogues have continued to 

rise sharply. Much of these synthetic opioids are sold directly to customers by illicit Chinese

manufacturers via the Dark Web. Consultation with subject matter experts suggests that an

increase of 10 percent in thecosttocustomersofillicitfentanylby2022isachievablegiventheU.S.

Government’sincreased efforts todetect andinterdictthese syntheticopioids via theU.S.mail and

other delivery services.

The 2019 Strategy identified a set of measures of performance and effectiveness, most of which 

were based upon the President’s Initiative to Stop Opioid Abuse and Reduce Drug Supply and 

Demand and recommendations from the President’s Commission on Combatting Drug Addiction 

and the Opioid Crisis. The PRS operationalizes these measures into 9 goals and 17 objectives for 

the Nation to achieve by 2022 to reduce the availability of, and demand for, illicit drugs4 and the 

consequences of their use. The goals address deaths related to the use of drugs, especially the 

use of illicit opioids and misuse of opioid medications—the number one goal of the Strategy; the 

prevalence of use of drugs, especially among youth;5 expansion of SUD treatment, especiallyMAT 

for OUD; the over-prescribing of opioid medications—the practice that fueled the early years of 

the current opioid crisis and continues to contribute to it; the production of illicit drugs; and the 

availability of illicit drugs in the United States. The 9 goals are supported by 17 quantifiable and 

measurable objectives set forth in thisdocument.

In the following section, each goal is stated in concise and direct language in italics; the annually 

available data source noted; the quantifiable and measurable objective stated (some goals have 

more than one objective); and the baseline. Except where noted, 2017, the first year of the current 

Administration, serves as the baseline for the annual targets. For the exceptions, the baseline is 

the earliest year for which data are available. All baseline data are the actual estimates from the 

sources cited.

4

“Illicit drugs” includes the non-medical use of medications. 5

ONDCP’s authorizing statute restricts the agency’s mission to illicit drugs (to include the non-medical use of medications). Since 

the use of alcohol and tobacco is illegal for minors, policies and programs addressing these substances are considered under 

ONDCP’s mission.
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15

GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND TARGETS

For the purpose of the numerical goals and objectives listed throughout this report, ONDCP 

assumes a linear progression in its calculations from the baseline to the 2022 target. In actuality 

this trajectory may not be linear,butratherit may occur at varying ratesoverthe 5- year period due 

to multiple factors which influence the ability to achieve each of the stated goals and objectives. 

Additionally, several of the goals and objectives are correlated to a certain degree. For example, if 

the potential production of cocaine is reduced, seizures of cocaine in the transit zone and at the

U.S. southern border may be reduced, followed by reduced use and mortality. ONDCP will report 

annually on the progress achieved for each goal and objective. Each objective includes the data 

source;these include survey and administrative data. All data sources are available annually. Each 

objective also is also accompanied by a chart to provide a visual display of the projected glide 

path toward the 2022 target and progress to date. For the charts, the annual targets are shown in 

green, the observed annual estimates are shown in blue.

Goal 1

The number of Americans dying from a drug overdose is significantly reduced within five years. Drug 

overdose deaths have increased 95 percent since 2008. These deaths have been driven by 

opioid-related deaths, which in 2017 accounted for two thirds (68%) of all drug overdose deaths. 

Ultimately, all of the Nation’s drug control efforts are focused on reducing the number of drug 

overdose deaths, making this the number one goal of the Strategy [Data Source: Center for Disease Control/National Center for Health Statistics Vital Statistics data].

Objective 1: Reduce the number of drug overdose deaths by 15 percent by 2022.

The primary Goal of the Strategy is to 

significantly reduce the number of Americans 

dying from drug overdose. The supporting 

Objective is to reduce the number of drug 

overdose deaths by 15 percent within 5 years. 

In 2018, according to data from the CDC, drug 

overdose deaths declined 3 percent, which is 

exactly on track to achieve the 5-year target of 

a 15 percent reduction. This is the first decline 

in drug overdose deaths since the beginning of 

the opioid epidemic. The decline appears to be 

driven by a decrease in deaths involving opioid 

medications. This reduction is offset 

somewhat by the continuing steep increase in 

deaths involving illicit fentanyl and its 

analogues.
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Goal 2

Educate the public, especially adolescents, about drug use, specifically opioids. Treating people 

with a SUD is a far more costly and involved matterthan preventing the initiation of drug use in the 

first place. Evidence-based prevention programming can help communities prevent the initiation 

of drug use or stop it before it becomes problematic and requires treatment. The objectives under 

this goal will assess the Nation’s success in reducing drug use, and specifically opioid use,among 

youth. [Data Source: National Survey on Drug Use and Health, prevalence of use for any illicit drug 

use in the past year and any misuse of opioids in the past year among youth (aged 12-to-17)].

Objective 1: Reduce the rate of past year use of any illicit drug among youth by 15 percent by 

2022.

Objective 2: Reduce the rate of past year use of opioids6 among youth by 15 percent by 2022.

According to data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s (SAMHSA)

NSDUH, the use of any illicit drug among youth increased by 2 percent, to 16.7 percent. The Nation 

needs to redouble its efforts to reinforce the drug use prevention message in communities across 

the country. In 2018, again according to data from the NSDUH, misuse of opioids declined 10

percent to 2.8 percent, exceeding the 2018 target and nearly achieving the 5-year target of 2.6

percent. The Nation’s youth appear to be receiving and heeding the strong prevention messaging 

about the dangers of opioid misuse.

6

According to theNSDUH,the “use of opioids” includes use of heroin or misuse of prescription pain relievers (which may include 

non-opioid pain relievers). Because NSDUH respondents were asked about the misuse of only prescription forms of fentanyl, 

however,this estimate forfentanyl misuse may underrepresent people who misused fentanyl that was illicitly manufactured in 

clandestine laboratories (i.e., as opposed to the misuse of diverted fentanylthat was produced by the pharmaceutical industry). 

This estimate of fentanyl misuse also may not include people who misused illicitly manufactured fentanyl that was mixed with 

heroin or sold as heroin (but contained only illicitly manufactured fentanyl).
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Goal 3

Evidence-based addiction treatment, including Medication-Assisted Treatment for opioidaddiction, 

is more accessible nationwide. Evidence has indicated that MAT7 is an effective treatment for OUD; 

however, it has not been widely adopted among specialty treatment providers8

—in 2017, only 10 

percent of such providers offered it.

Buprenorphine—one of the three FDA-approved medications for the treatment of OUD—also can 

beadministeredbypractitioners intheiroffices—asettingtypicallynotconsideredtobeaspecialty 

treatment facility. However, the proportion of physicians offering this MAT remainsunacceptably 

low. [Data Sources: the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s National Survey of 

Substance Abuse Treatment Services for the percentage of specialty treatment facilities offering 

MAT; and the DEA for data on the percentage of physicians who have obtained waivers to dispense 

buprenorphine (one of three MATs approved by the FDA) in their offices].9

Objective1:Increase thepercentageof specialty treatmentfacilitiesproviding any MATby 10

percent by 2022.d

In 2018,there was no progress made toward achieving this Goal. According to data from SAMHSA’s 

National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services, in 2018 there was no increase in the 

percentage of specialty treatment facilities offering MAT.

7

There are three FDA-approved MATs for the treatment of OUD: methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone. 8

Specialty treatment refers to substance use treatment at a hospital (only as an inpatient), a drug or alcohol rehabilitationfacility 

(as an inpatient or outpatient), or a mental health center. This definition (from the NSDUH) historically has not considered emergency rooms, private doctors’ offices, prisons or jails, and self-help groups to be specialty substance use treatment facilities. 9

The baseline and 2019 target estimates for the current report differ slightly from those published in the 2019 PRS due a change

in definition of “practitioners”. The revised estimates excludes retail pharmacies, hospitals/clinics, and teaching institutes.
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Objective 2: Increase the percentage of health care workers certified to administer,

prescribe and dispense buprenorphine for opioid use disorder to 10 percent by 2022e.

Objective 2 is to increase the percentage of Federal 

health care workers certified to prescribe 

buprenorphine certified to administer, prescribe 

and dispense buprenorphine (one of three FDAapproved opioid treatment medications). The DEA 

oversees the provision of waivers to permit 

practitioners to administer, prescribe and dispense 

buprenorphine in settings other than specialty 

treatment facilities. In 2018, DEA reported that this 

percentage had increased to 4 percent. This 

measure is moving in the right direction and is 

slightly below the 2018 annual target of 4.2 percent.

Goal 4

Increase mandatory prescriber education and continuing training on best practices and current 

clinical guidelines. To a great extent the overprescribing or unwarranted prescribing of opioid 

medications beginning in the mid-1990s initiated the current opioid crisis and continues to fuel it. 

Since then, the medical community has recognized the need for continuing education on proper 

prescribingofcontrolledmedicationsandhasdeveloped(andcontinues todevelop)bestpractices 

for the prescribing of them. [Data Source: Administrative data from each Federal agency that 

employs prescribers]. As of April 2017, 48 percent of all Federal prescribers had taken continuing 

education courses on the proper procedures for

prescribing opioids.

Objective 1: Increase the percentage of Federal 

prescribers that have completed continuing 

education on best practices and current clinical 

guidelines in prescribing opioid medications by 

50 percent by 2022.

Given the major role that the misuse of opioid 

medications has played in the current opioid 

epidemic, it is critical that practitioners adhere 

to best practices and current guidelines in their 

prescribing of these medications. Among 

Federal drug control agencies, the Bureau of 

Prisons, the Department of Defense, the 

National Institutes of Health, the Indian Health 

Service and Department of Veterans Affairs 

employ practitioners who can prescribe opioid
NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL STRATEGY: PERFORMANCE REPORTING SYSTEM

18

medications. In 2018, the combined total percentage of such Federal practitioners reported by 

these agencies indicated that 89 percent had completed the required training, exceeding the 5-

year goal by 17 percentage points.

Goal 5

Reducenationwideopioidprescriptionfillsbyone-thirdwithinthreeyears. If the medicalcommunity 

is successful in increasing continuing education on proper prescribing practices for controlled 

medications and in adhering to best practices in their prescribing of them, especially opioids, then

there should be a substantial decline in opioid prescription fills. [Data Source: IQVIA National 

Prescription Audit (proprietary data from a commercial vendor; provided by HHS—data retrieved 

on March 14, 2019)]10.

Objective 1: By increasing education and adherence to proper prescribing practices for effective 

pain management reduce nationwide number of opioid prescription fills by 33 percent by 2020 

and maintain that reduction in 2021 and 2022.

The overprescribing and diversion to illicit 

markets of opioid medications has 

contributed substantially to the current 

opioid epidemic. This Goal highlights the 

need to reduce the number ofprescription 

fills of opioid medications in order to avoid 

overprescribing and diversion. The 

supporting Objective calls for a one- third 

reduction in opioid medication 

prescriptions (as measured by MME—a 

measure that standardizes doses across 

prescriptions—within three years (to 102 

billion MME) and maintain that level in 

years4and5.Thedatawithwhichtoassess 

progress on achieving this Objective is 

collected by IQVIA and reported in their 

National Prescription Audit, acommercial 

dataset that obtains prescriptions from a 

majority of the Nation’s dispensers and 

then compiles and sells to manufactures

for market share analysis. In 2018, IQVIA reports that such prescription fills declined 19 percent to 

129 billion MME, thereby exceeding the annual target for this Objective (137 billion MME).

Goal 6

Increase PDMP interoperability and usage across the country. PDMPs have increasingly become an 

important element in reducing the prevalence of “doctor shopping”, the practice of individuals 

visiting multiple doctors under false pretenses to obtain multiple prescriptions for opioid

medications. In addition to state PDMPs being able to “communicate” with one another

10For purposes of this objective, prescription fills are measured as MMEs which take into account the strength, dosage, and days’ 

supply of each fill. These numbers differ from previously published data by the IQVIA Institute in “Medicine Use and Spending 

in the U.S.: A Review of 2017 and Outlook to 2022, April 2018”. The data presented above exclude prescriptions dispensed in the 

long-term care channel and buprenorphine prescriptions.
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to prevent cross-state border doctor shopping, it is important that PDMP databases be able to 

integrate patient electronic health records to improve efficiency and timeliness—in 2019, only 15 

state PDMPs have this capability. [Data Source: Bureau of Justice Assistance administrative data; 

baseline is 2019].

Objective 1: Increase the number of states integrating electronic health records (EHR) with their 

PDMPs to 30 by 2022.

Goal 7

State PDMP assist practitioners in 

avoiding misprescribing medications 

to those patients who see more than 

one practitioner or in prescribing 

medications to those who seek them 

fraudulently (i.e., doctor shopping). 

Forty-nine states and the District of 

Columbia currently have established 

PDMPs. The effort to enhance the 

usefulness of PDMPs is now focused 

on integrating EHR with PDMPs. BJA 

only began tracking the measure for 

this Objective in 2019, so that this 

year serves as the baseline. At the 

beginning of 2019 there were 15 states 

that had integrated EHR with their 

PDMP. The first update for this Goal 

and Objective will be presented in the 

2021 PRS.

Significantly reduce the availability ofillicit drugs in theUnited States by preventing their production 

outside the United States. The majority of heroin, illicit fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine 

consumed in the United States originates in other countries. To reduce the availability of drugs in 

the United States, the Government supports programs that impact the trafficking of drugs all 

along their route to the United States. For plant-based drugs such as cocaine and heroin, it is 

essential to prevent their cultivation and production. [Data Source: US Government potential 

production estimates for cocaine and heroin].

Objective 1: Reduce potential production11 of cocaine from Colombia (pure metric tons) by 42

percent by 2022.

The Nation’s drug problem will not be reduced through demand reduction policies alone. A well11The U.S. Government conducts remote sensing of growing areas for illicit drug crops (coca and opium poppy; for opium poppy 

cultivation in Mexico there are two growing seasons). Analysts estimate the number of fields and their average size (i.e., the 

average number of plants per field). The overall sum of these estimates is the potential cultivation, in hectares, of the crop. For 

coca, ground surveys provide an estimate of the proportion of all illicit crop fields that are new (i.e., they are lower producing 

than mature fields). Farmer surveys and samples taken from fields provides information on growing efficiencies and crop yields. 

Field tests, involving actual illicit “cooks”, provide estimates of the processing efficiency of turning raw crop into the finished 

drug. All of these variables are taken into consideration to estimate the theoretical amount of cocaine or heroin that could be 

produced from the crops under cultivation and maximum yields and processing efficiencies. This theoretical amount is the 
NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL STRATEGY: PERFORMANCE REPORTING SYSTEM

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potential production.
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balanced Strategy must also address reducing the availability of illicit drugs. One method for 

accomplishing this reduction is to decrease the potential production of plant-based illicit drug 

crops via eradication and other efforts—the focus of Goal 7.

Objective 1 under this Goal is to reduce 

the potential production of cocaine from 

Colombia—the source of the majority of 

cocaine consumed in the United States—

by 42 percent by 2022. This target keeps 

us on pace to meet the bilateral goal 

between Colombia and the United 

States to reduce cocaine potential 

production by 50 percent by 2023. In 

recent years, cultivation of coca and the 

potential production of cocaine in 

Colombia has reached record levels 

following several years of decline. In 

2018, data from the U.S. Government 

indicatestherewasaonepercentdecline 

in the potential production of cocainein 

Colombia.12 While this represents only

modest progress, itis encouraging given the record levels of potential production ofthe preceding 

few years. Given the strong and aggressive support from the current Colombia administration for 

the suppression of the cocaine industry, including the resumption of aerial eradication, further 

progress can be expected in the coming years.

Objective 2: Reduce potentialproduction 

of heroin (pure metric tons) from Mexico 

by 25 percent by 2022.13

Objective 2 is to reduce the potential 

production of heroin from Mexico by 25 

percent within 5 years. In 2018, the U.S. 

Government estimated that the potential 

production of heroin in Mexico had 

declined by 5 percent to 106 metric tons, 

exactly on track to achieve the 5-year 

target of 25 percent. This progress can be 

attributed to the Mexican government’s 

strong support and implementation of 

several programs targeting the opium 

poppy crop.

12The U.S. Government periodically reviews the results of cultivation and crop yield estimates which may result in adjustments to 

potential production estimates. Such an adjustment was made for the 2017 Colombia cocaine potential production estimate so 

that the baseline and 2- and 5-year target estimates presented here differ slightly from those presented in the 2019 PRS. 13This objective is predicated upon the successful implementation of the following programs which are currently the focus of 

U.S.-Mexico engagement regarding heroin production: Completion of the current opium poppy yield study; the full capability 

of the eradication validation program; the development of a shared eradication goal and joint plan for intelligence-driven 

eradication; and an increase in the aerial eradication program.
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Goal 8

Significantly reduce the availability of illicit drugs in the United States by disrupting their sale on the 

internet,and stoppingtheirflowinto the country through themailand express courier environments, 

and across ourborders. Interdictingdrugs as they are trafficked to theUnited States and as they are 

smuggled across the borders or through POE or the mail is another essential method forreducing 

their availability domestically. [Data Sources: Consolidated Counterdrug Database (CCDB). CBP 

provide seizure estimates of drugs seized at and between Ports of Entry (the Border) and theU.S. 

Postal Inspection Service provides data on seizures from the mail. The FBI estimates the number 

of on-line drug vendor investigations].

Objective 1: Increase the amount of cocaine removals14 (in metric tons) in the transit zone by 10 

percent by 2022 (assumes that drug flow remains stable and the removal rate is increased).

The majority of drugs consumed in the United States is produced in foreign countries and must 

be smuggled into the country. This Goal highlights efforts to remove or seize illicit drugs as they 

travel to the United States or cross its borders.15 Objective 1 is to increase the amount of cocaine 

removals in the transit zone by 10 percent by 2022. As noted above, the setting of this target 

assumes that the flow of cocaine remains stable and the removal rate increases. The Department 

of Defense (DOD) is assigned as the lead federal agency for detection and monitoring in the air 

and maritime approaches to the United States that are likely transshipment lanes while the USCG 

serves as the principal maritime interdiction agency. In 2018, the USCG removed 195 metric tons 

of cocaine in the transit zone. This is 20 percent less than that removed in 2017 and is, therefore, 

moving in the wrong direction to achieve the 5-year target.

14 Removals include actual seizure of drugs or observation of their being thrown overboard or sunk from trafficking

vessels.

15 The 2019 PRS contained a figure depicting the projected trend in seizures of illicit drugs at U.S. borders; it was erroneously 

labeled as seizures from only the Southwest Border.
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Objective 2: Increase the amount of seizures (in metric tons or kilograms) at U.S. borders and 

ports of entry by 10 percent by 2022 (assumes that drug flow remains stable and the seizure rate 

is increased).

Seizures at the U.S. Border and Ports of Entry

Objective 2 is to increase the seizure of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl as they 

are attempted to be smuggled across the borders or at POE by 10 percent by 2022.16 The setting of 

these targets assumes that the flow of each drug remains stable while the seizure rate increases. 

The 2018 results for this objective are mixed. CBP reports that in 2018, 26.6 metric tons of cocaine 

were seized at POEs or between POEs, a decline of 22 percent from 2017.17 Seizures of fentanyl 

also declined from their baseline estimate, from 1,110.4 pounds in 2017 to 877.2 pounds, a drop 

of 21 percent. In contrast seizures of heroin increased 2 percent, from 2,451.7 pounds in 2017 to
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2,492.9 pounds in 2018. Seizures of methamphetamine in 2018 increased sharply over 2017,

16 There was an error in last year’s report. This objective is for seizures at all U.S. borders and POEs, not just the Southwest Border. 17CBP often updates their seizure databases based upon findings from continuing investigations so that data from prior years may 

be revised. Such revision was made to 2017 estimates so thatthe baseline and 2- and 5-yeartargets presented in the currentreport 

differ from those presented in the 2019 PRS.
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rising from 30.2 metric tons to 41.4 metric tons, thereby already exceeding the 5-year target of

33.2 metric tons. It may be that the assumption of stability in the flow of methamphetamine is 

incorrect; ONDCP will continue to monitor this target and determine whether an adjustment in 

the long-term target is necessary.

Objective 3: Increase the number of online 

drug vendor investigations by 30 percent by 

2022.

Objective 3 is to increase the number of online 

drug vendor investigations by 30 percent by 

2022. The FBI has only recently focused 

considerable efforts on this issue; therefore, 

2018 is the first yearforwhichdata are available 

and is thus the baseline for this measure. The 

initial assessment on progress toward 

achieving this Objective will be presented in 

the 2021 PRS.

Goal 9

Illicit drugs are less available in the United States

as reflected in increased price and decreased purity as measured by price per pure gram. In general, 

price per pure gram increases as the risk to traffickers increases, which is accomplished through 

crop eradication, interdiction, seizures, disrupting and dismantling criminal organizations, and 

other efforts. Typically, an increase in the price per pure gram of a drug suggests that it is less 

available as traffickers have to dilute its purity by adding adulterants in order to keep their retail 

distributers supplied with the same amount of “product” at the same street price. [Data Source: 

DEA drug price and purity data developed from undercover purchases.18 The data on the cost of 

illicit fentanyl is provided by U.S. Federal law enforcement].

Objective 1: Increase the price per pure gram 

of cocaine to $250 by 2022.

If the Nation is successful in reducing the 

availability of illicit drugs entering the United 

States via interdiction in the transit zone and 

seizures at the borders and from mail and 

express consignment carrier networks, a 

substantial increase in the price and decline 

in the purity should be observed. This is the 

focus of Goal 9.

In 2018, the prices per pure gram of cocaine 

and heroin showed little change from their 

baseline estimates, each dropping slightly: 

from $158 to $156 for cocaine and from $1,061 

to $1,028 for heroin.Data for 2018 forthe price
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18The baseline and 2020 targets in the current report differ slightly from those presented in the 2019 PRS due to updates by DEA 

to the price per pure gram trend series for the three drugs; data provided by DEA on October 28, 2019.
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per pure gram of methamphetamine was not yet available from DEA; the data for this objective

will be updated when the data become available.

Objective 2: Increase the price per pure gram of heroin to $1,400 by 2022.

Objective 3: Increase the price per pure gram of methamphetamine to $120 by 2022.
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Objective 4: Increase the costofillicitfentanyl(purity not known) charged by dealers per kilogram

to customers by 10 percent by 2022.

The DEA does not conduct undercover 

purchases of fentanyl so Objective 4 seeks 

to increase the cost of fentanyl charged by 

dealers per kilogram to customers by 10 

percent by 2022. U.S. law enforcement has 

only recently begun tracking such costs so 

that 2018 is the first year for which these 

data are available and thus this year serves 

as the baseline for this measure. The initial 

assessment of progress toward achieving 

this Objective will be presented in the 2021 

PRS.

CONCLUSION

The PRS Report complies with ONDCP’s statutory requirements to establish quantifiable and 

measurable long-term goals and objectives for the Strategy. ONDCP has ensured transparency 

and accountability for the Strategy through the setting of aggressive end-state target. Progress 

toward achieving these goals and objectives will be provided to Congress and the publicthrough 

annual updates of the PRS Report.

a -e A technical correction to this objective has been made subsequent to issuance of the 2020 Performance Reporting System

document.