Report to the Chairman, Subcommittee

on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and

Human Resources, House Committee

on Government Reform, and to

Representative John L. Mica

United States General Accounting Office

GAO

May 2001 UNDERAGE

DRINKING

Information on

Federal Funds

Targeted at

Prevention

GAO-01-503
Page i GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

Letter 1

Scope and Methodology 1

Results in Brief 3

Agency Comments and Our Evaluation 5

Appendix I: Federal Agencies That Had Fiscal Year 2000 Program Activities

Addressing Prevention of Underage Drinking 7

Appendix II: Information on Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriated Funding to Address

Prevention of Underage Drinking 24

Appendix III: Federal Agencies’ Fiscal Year 2000 Program Activities Related to

Underage Drinking That Included a Media Component 28

Tables

Table 1: Summary of Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriated Federal Funds

That Specifically Addressed Prevention of Underage

Drinking, by Federal Agency 3

Table 2: SAMHSA’s Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriated Federal Funding

That Addressed Prevention of Youth Alcohol and Drug

Use, by Program Activity 9

Table 3: CDC’s Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriated Federal Funding

That Addressed Prevention of Youth Alcohol and Drug

Use, by Program Activity 10

Table 4: NIAAA’s Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriated Federal Funding

That Addressed Prevention of Underage Drinking, by

Program Activity 11

Table 5: OJJDP’s Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriated Federal Funding

That Addressed Prevention of Youth Alcohol and Drug

Use, by Program Activity 13

Table 6: NHTSA’s Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriated Federal Funding

That Addressed Prevention of Youth Alcohol and Drug

Use, by Program Activity 14

Table 7: Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriated Federal Funding Identified

by the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education as

Addressing Prevention of Youth Drug and Alcohol Use, by

Program Activity 15

Contents
Page ii GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

Table 8. ONDCP’s Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriated Federal Funding

That Addressed Prevention of Youth Alcohol and Drug

Use, by Program Activity 18

Table 9: Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriated Federal Funding That

Agencies Identified as Addressing Prevention of Underage

Drinking 25

Table 10: Estimated Portion of Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriated

Federal Funding for Block, Formula, or Incentive Grants

That Addressed Youth Drug and Alcohol Use 27

Table 11: Agency Program Activities That Specifically Addressed

Alcohol Use by Youth and Included a Media Component 28

Table 12: Program Activities That Included Alcohol-Related Media

Components Targeted to Youth 29

Figures

Figure 1: Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriated Federal Funding That

Addressed Prevention of Underage Drinking Specifically

or Addressed Underage Drinking in Part 4
Page 1 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

May 8, 2001

The Honorable Mark E. Souder

Chairman, Subcommittee on Criminal Justice,

 Drug Policy, and Human Resources

Committee on Government Reform

House of Representatives

The Honorable John L. Mica

House of Representatives

Multiple surveys indicate substantial alcohol consumption among youth,

even though the purchase and public possession of alcohol by persons

under the age of 21 are illegal in every state and the District of Columbia.1

Many federal programs address prevention of alcohol use among underage

youth. This letter responds to a request that we identify the nature and

extent of federal efforts related to the prevention of underage drinking, to

assist Congress in its deliberations on whether additional attention to

alcohol use by youth is needed. 2

 Specifically, our objectives were to

identify (1) the amount of appropriated fiscal year 2000 federal funds that

addressed prevention of underage drinking, and (2) fiscal year 2000 funded

program activities that included media components to publicize the

problem of underage drinking.

To identify fiscal year 2000 appropriated federal funding that addressed

prevention of underage drinking, we first identified agencies that had

program activities that addressed prevention of alcohol use and then

asked agency officials to provide information on their program activities

affecting youth under the age of 21. We used the Office of National Drug

Control Policy’s (ONDCP) fiscal year 2001 budget summary that included

fiscal year 2000 funding information to identify federal agencies with

 1

For information regarding the states’ adoption of a 21-year minimum age for the purchase

and public possession of alcohol, see the “Enforcing the Underage Drinking Laws

Discretionary Grants Program,” issued by the Justice Department, Office of Juvenile

Justice and Delinquency Prevention, at www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/grants/UNDERAGE.html.

2

We defined prevention to include initiatives such as those associated with information,

education, research, screening, and brief intervention or treatment.

United States General Accounting Office

Washington, DC 20548

Scope and

Methodology
Page 2 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

program activities related to prevention of underage drinking. We used the

ONDCP budget report because it listed agencies with activities that

supported one of ONDCP’s strategic goals—to educate and enable

America’s youth to reject illegal drugs as well as the use of alcohol and

tobacco. To identify additional federal agencies that might have program

activities that addressed prevention of underage drinking, we solicited

suggestions from officials of federal agencies identified as having alcohol

prevention programs about other federal agencies that would have such

program activities. We identified 23 federal agencies as having program

activities that to some degree addressed prevention of underage drinking.

Appendix I provides more information on these federal agencies.

We asked the agencies we identified to provide information on activities

funded in fiscal year 2000 that addressed prevention of underage drinking

either specifically or in part. We asked for information on, among other

things, the nature of their programs, the type of funding (e.g.,

discretionary, block, formula, and incentive grants; contracts; cooperative

and interagency agreements; and agency program funds), and the amount

of the fiscal year 2000 appropriated federal funding for each program. We

categorized federal program activities that addressed prevention of

underage drinking by drug focus and audience. With respect to drug focus,

the categories included (1) activities that targeted alcohol use or (2)

activities that targeted both alcohol and other drug use. With respect to

audience, the activities were categorized by those that (1) targeted youth

or (2) targeted both youth and the broader community.3

With respect to media components, we asked federal agency officials with

programs that addressed prevention of underage drinking to identify those

program activities funded in fiscal year 2000 that had a media component

to publicize the problem of underage drinking. We defined media

component as radio and television broadcasts. We also asked officials to

provide a description of the media component.

We relied on information and records provided by agency officials and did

not independently verify the information. We performed our audit work in

Washington, D.C., from November 2000 through April 2001 in accordance

with generally accepted government auditing standards.

 3

The broader community includes parents, college students over age 21, teachers, and

health care professionals.
Page 3 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

An estimated $71 million of fiscal year 2000 appropriated federal funds

were specifically addressed to the prevention of underage drinking (i.e.,

alcohol use by youth). Five federal agencies—(1) the Substance Abuse and

Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), (2) the National

Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), (3) the Office of

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), (4) the National

Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and (5) the Centers for

Disease Control (CDC)—identified about $52 million in fiscal year 2000

appropriated funding that specifically addressed prevention of underage

drinking to youth. Additionally, three of these agencies identified about

$19 million that addressed prevention of underage drinking but targeted

both youth and the broader community. Table 1 summarizes the

appropriated fiscal year 2000 federal funding that specifically addressed

prevention of underage drinking.

Table 1: Summary of Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriated Federal Funds That Specifically

Addressed Prevention of Underage Drinking, by Federal Agency

Appropriated federal funds (in millions)

Agency Targeted to youth

Targeted to youth and

the broader

community Total

SAMHSA $2.1 $1.6 $3.7

NIAAA 19.2 17.0 36.2

OJJDP 27.8 0 27.8

NHTSA 2.9 .3 3.2

CDC .2 0 .2

Total $52.2 $18.9 $71.1

Source: GAO analysis of agency data.

In addition, many federal agencies had program activities that addressed

prevention of underage drinking but for which agency officials could not

isolate funding specific to alcohol. SAMHSA, OJJDP, CDC, and another 15

federal agencies identified about $1 billion of fiscal year 2000 appropriated

federal funding that addressed prevention of alcohol use but also targeted

other drug use. These activities addressed prevention of alcohol and other

drug use that targeted either youth or both youth and the broader

community. However, officials could not tell us what portion of this

appropriated federal funding was targeted specifically to alcohol

prevention activities. Furthermore, three federal agencies—Office of

Elementary and Secondary Education, SAMHSA, and NHTSA—identified

an estimated $769 million out of $2.2 billion of block, formula, and

incentive grant funds that may have been used by states to address

prevention of drug and alcohol use by youth.

Results in Brief
Page 4 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

Figure 1 shows the amount of fiscal year 2000 appropriated federal

funding that specifically addressed prevention of underage drinking versus

funding that, in part, may have addressed prevention of underage drinking.

Figure 1: Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriated Federal Funding That Addressed

Prevention of Underage Drinking Specifically or Addressed Underage Drinking in

Part

Source: GAO analysis of agency data.

Appendix II provides information on federal agencies’ fiscal year 2000

appropriated federal funding that addressed prevention of underage

drinking.

Three federal agencies—NIAAA, NHTSA, and SAMHSA—identified seven

program activities that included a media component targeting either

alcohol use by youth or alcohol use where the audience was both youth

and the broader community. The fiscal year 2000 appropriated funding for

these seven program activities was approximately $1.5 million. In addition,

agencies provided general information regarding the extent to which

media components were included in block, formula, or incentive grants

and in ONDCP’s National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign. Appendix III

provides more information on federal agency fiscal year 2000 program

activities that included a media component.

Estimated funding from block, formula,

and incentive grants that addressed

prevention of drug and alcohol use 

($769 million)

Funding that addressed prevention 

of alcohol use but also targeted other

drug use ($1 billion)

•

Specific funding for prevention 

of underage drinking

($71 million)

•

•
Page 5 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

On March 23, 2001, we provided a draft report for comment to the GAO

liaisons for the 23 agencies included in this report. Based on reviews

within these agencies by relevant officials, the GAO liaisons provided

technical and editorial comments, or indicated no comment, by E-mail or

letter. Technical and editorial comments have been incorporated, where

appropriate. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

expressed concern about the consistency of some information provided on

the part of one HHS agency, SAMHSA, that had provided information that

focused on alcohol use by youth and had not included activities related to

addressing “alcohol and drug use” by youth or by youth and the broader

community (i.e., that addressed underage drinking in part). SAMHSA

provided additional information that has been included in this report.

Through the agency comment process, we provided all agencies an

opportunity to correct inconsistencies.

In addition, HHS noted that in some instances GAO performed analysis of

agency data and in other instances agency data were reported without

analysis. GAO analyzed data for agencies that were able to provide

specific information on activities related to prevention of underage

drinking. However, many agencies were unable to identify specific

funding activities related to prevention of underage drinking. For these

agencies, we reported the funding level identified with the general

program activity.

As arranged with the Subcommittee, we plan no further distribution of this

report until 30 days after the date of this letter. We will then send copies to

Representative Elijah Cummings, Ranking Minority Member,

Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and Human Resources,

House Government Reform, and Representative Dan Burton, Chairman,

and Representative Henry Waxman, Ranking Minority Member, House

Committee on Government Reform. We will also send copies to Senator

Fred Thompson, Chairman, and Senator Joseph Lieberman, Ranking

Member, Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs. We will also make

copies available to others on request. This report will also be available on

GAO’s home page at http://www.gao.gov.

Agency Comments

and Our Evaluation
Page 6 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

Please call me on (202) 512-8777 if you or your staff have any questions

regarding this report. The information presented in this report was

developed by Linda Watson, Assistant Director; Jared Hermalin, Senior

Analyst; and Lou Smith, Analyst.

Richard M. Stana

Director, Justice Issues
Appendix I: Federal Agencies That Had Fiscal

Year 2000 Program Activities Addressing

Prevention of Underage Drinking

Page 7 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

This appendix provides information on the 23 agencies identified as having

program activities addressing prevention of underage drinking.1

 Included

are agency descriptions, the targeted drug and audience for the program

activity, and information on agencies’ total appropriated fiscal year 2000

federal funding related to prevention of underage drinking, which includes

both funding that was specific to prevention of underage drinking and

funding that, in part, may have addressed prevention of underage drinking.

The agency description includes mission information for agencies that had

a more significant role in addressing prevention of underage drinking. For

agencies that had program activities that addressed underage drinking but

for whom conducting such activities was not a primary role, we have

described the program activities related to the issue of prevention of

underage drinking. Focusing on the targeted drug and audience allowed us

to differentiate among agencies and program activities that specifically

addressed prevention of underage drinking versus those that addressed, in

part, prevention of underage drinking (i.e. addressed alcohol and other

drug use) and whether the targeted audience was specific to underage

youth (i.e., youth under the age of 21) or encompassed a broader

community to include parents, college students over age 21, teachers, and

health care professionals. The fiscal year 2000 funding provides an

explanation of each agency’s funding in relation to its program activities

related to prevention of underage drinking.

Description: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF)

manages state grants and childcare programs, including programs to

increase child abuse prevention and treatment activities. It also seeks to

develop family preservation and family support services, the Head Start

Program, programs that provide services for runaway and homeless youth

and their families, child welfare training programs, and child abuse and

neglect and research and demonstration programs. At least 10 percent of

the funds ACF awards to grantees as part of its Runaway and Homeless

 1

Prevention is defined as activities such as those associated with information, education,

research, and early intervention or treatment.

Appendix I: Federal Agencies That Had Fiscal

Year 2000 Program Activities Addressing

Prevention of Underage Drinking

Department of Health

and Human Services

Administration for

Children and Families
Appendix I: Federal Agencies That Had Fiscal

Year 2000 Program Activities Addressing

Prevention of Underage Drinking

Page 8 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

Youth Programs are used to support a variety of substance abuse

prevention activities, including efforts to prevent underage drinking.

These activities include literature, counseling, or a mixture of efforts.

Targeted drug and audience: The program activity targeted drug and

alcohol use. The target audience for the program was youth under the age

of 21.

Fiscal Year 2000 funding: Commenting on its Runaway and Homeless

Youth program, an official of the Administration for Children and Families

estimated that approximately $15,000,000 in fiscal year 2000 appropriated

funding may have addressed, in part, prevention of underage drinking.

However, the official could not tell us what portion of appropriated federal

funding may have addressed alcohol prevention activities.

Description: SAMHSA’s goal is to strengthen the capacity of the nation’s

health care system to provide prevention, diagnosis, and treatment

services for people at risk of or experiencing substance abuse2

 or mental

illnesses. SAMHSA is composed of three centers: (1) the Center for Mental

Health Services promotes improved mental health; (2) the Center for

Substance Abuse Prevention promotes strategies to prevent substance

abuse—whether illicit drug use, misuse of legal medications, use of

alcohol and tobacco by youth, or excessive use of alcohol; and (3) the

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment promotes efforts to improve the

lives of individuals and families affected by alcohol and drug abuse by

helping to ensure access to clinically sound, cost-effective addiction

treatment to reduce the nation’s health and social costs. SAMHSA also

conducts the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse and other surveys

on alcohol and other drug use and abuse by youth as well as adults. The

three centers administer grants, contracts, and interagency agreements for

their respective fields of specialty.

Targeted drug and audience: SAMHSA’s program activities included

those that targeted just alcohol use and others that targeted both drug and

 2

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. (DSM-IV), a

diagnosis of substance abuse requires that an individual exhibit a pattern of abuse that can

be demonstrated by either of the following: continued use despite a persistent social,

occupational, psychological, or physical problem that is caused or made worse by

substance use, or recurrent use in physically hazardous situations.

Substance Abuse and

Mental Health Services

Administration (SAMHSA)
Appendix I: Federal Agencies That Had Fiscal

Year 2000 Program Activities Addressing

Prevention of Underage Drinking

Page 9 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

alcohol use. The targeted audience also varied, with some program

activities addressing youth and others addressing a broader community.

Fiscal year 2000 funding: As shown in table 2, SAMHSA’s total funding

related to prevention of youth alcohol and drug use was $628,180,834.

Table 2: SAMHSA’s Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriated Federal Funding That Addressed

Prevention of Youth Alcohol and Drug Use, by Program Activity

Program activity

Federal funds appropriated

in fiscal year 2000

Block grants $320,000,000a

Discretionary grants (514) $218,301,163

Contracts (42) $87,405,081

Interagency agreements (8) $2,474,590

Total $628,180,834

a

This amount represents the 20 percent minimum designated by statute for substance abuse

prevention activities, including alcohol and drug abuse. (42 U.S.C. 300x-22(a), (b) (1)). It includes not

only youth services, but those services for all age groups.

Source: GAO analysis of SAMHSA information.

Description: CDC is an operating division within the Public Health

Service and is charged with protecting the public health of the nation by

providing leadership and direction in the prevention and control of

diseases and other preventable conditions as well as by responding to

public health emergencies. CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention

and Control funded several projects in fiscal year 2000 related to

prevention of underage drinking. CDC’s National Center for Chronic

Disease Prevention and Health Promotion administers the Youth Risk

Behavior Survey (YRBS) that is to provide data on health risk behaviors

related to unintentional injuries and violence, tobacco use, alcohol and

other drug use, sexual behaviors, dietary behaviors, and physical activity.

However, an official told us that the survey is conducted biennially and

was not done during fiscal year 2000.

Targeted drug and audience: The National Center for Injury Prevention

and Control funded one activity that addressed alcohol and youth, two

that addressed alcohol and targeted both youth and the broader

community, and one activity that addressed drug and alcohol use and the

targeted audience was youth.

Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention

(CDC)
Appendix I: Federal Agencies That Had Fiscal

Year 2000 Program Activities Addressing

Prevention of Underage Drinking

Page 10 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

Fiscal year 2000 funding: As shown in table 3, CDC officials identified

$660,697 in fiscal year 2000 appropriated funds as related to youth alcohol

and drug use.

Table 3: CDC’s Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriated Federal Funding That Addressed

Prevention of Youth Alcohol and Drug Use, by Program Activity

Program activity

Federal funds appropriated

in fiscal year 2000

Contract (1) $20,000

Discretionary grants (3) $640,697

Total $660,697

Source: GAO analysis of CDC information.

Description: IHS is an operating division within the Public Health Service

and provides a comprehensive health services delivery system for

American Indians and Alaskan Natives, with opportunity for maximum

tribal involvement in developing and managing programs to meet their

health needs. It assists Native American tribes in developing their health

programs and facilitates and assists tribes in coordinating health planning;

obtaining and utilizing health resources available through federal, state,

and local programs; operating comprehensive health programs; and

evaluating health programs. IHS distributes funds to its 12 area offices,

which further distribute funds to tribal programs.

Targeted drug and audience: The IHS program activities addressed drug

and alcohol use. According to an IHS official, there are no programs

specifically funded for underage drinking prevention, but the issue of

adolescent alcohol abuse is addressed in the prevention and treatment

programs developed by the tribes. The targeted audience is youth for some

program activities and the broader community for others. These programs

include Youth Residential Treatment, Community Education and Training,

Community Rehabilitation and Aftercare, contract health services, Navajo

Rehabilitation Program, urban clinical service, and Wellness Beyond

Abstinence. According to IHS officials, each of the over 400 tribal

programs is designed to meet the needs of its service area. Each tribal

program incorporates local beliefs and practices into its alcohol

prevention and treatment programs for adolescents.

Fiscal year 2000 funding: An IHS official identified $41,945,000 in fiscal

year 2000 appropriated federal funding that, in part, addressed prevention

of underage drinking. However, the official could not tell us what portion

Indian Health Service

(IHS)
Appendix I: Federal Agencies That Had Fiscal

Year 2000 Program Activities Addressing

Prevention of Underage Drinking

Page 11 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

of appropriated federal funding may have addressed alcohol prevention

activities. According to IHS, reports show that some areas spend from 20

to 34 percent of their budgets on prevention and treatment initiatives for

adolescents.

Description: NIAAA, within the National Institutes of Health (NIH),

conducts and supports biomedical and behavioral research in order to

provide science-based approaches to the prevention and treatment of

alcohol abuse and alcoholism. It provides a national focus for the federal

effort to increase knowledge and disseminate research findings to the

scientific community, the health care system, and the public. NIAAA

administers grants and contracts to carry out its program activities.

Targeted drug and audience: NIAAA program activities targeted alcohol

use and abuse. Some program activities targeted only youth, and others

targeted both youth and the broader community.

Fiscal year 2000 funding: As shown in table 4, NIAAA’s fiscal year 2000

appropriated federal funding included $36,208,030 for program activities

related to prevention of underage drinking.

Table 4: NIAAA’s Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriated Federal Funding That Addressed

Prevention of Underage Drinking, by Program Activity

Program activity

Federal funds appropriated

in fiscal year 2000

Discretionary grants(90) $35,478,030

Contracts (2) $730,000

Total $36,208,030

Source: GAO analysis of NIAAA information.

Description: NIDA, within NIH, has as its mission to lead the nation in

bringing the power of science to bear on drug abuse and addiction through

the strategic support and conduct of research across a broad range of

disciplines and the effective dissemination and use of the results of that

research to improve drug abuse and addiction prevention, treatment, and

policy. One initiative within NIDA, the Monitoring the Future Study, is a

drug survey conducted annually. The survey has been administered to 12th

graders since 1975 and to 8th and 10th graders since 1991; a follow-up

sample of high school seniors is also included. The study serves several

purposes, including (1) an assessment of the prevalence and trends in drug

The National Institute on

Alcohol Abuse and

Alcoholism (NIAAA)

The National Institute on

Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Appendix I: Federal Agencies That Had Fiscal

Year 2000 Program Activities Addressing

Prevention of Underage Drinking

Page 12 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

use and related attitudes and beliefs, and (2) a determination of the

lifestyles and value orientations associated with drug use. The study

encompasses the use of illicit drugs as well as alcohol, cigarettes,

smokeless tobacco, and steroids.

Targeted drug and audience: The Monitoring the Future Study survey

included questions about drugs and alcohol, among other things. The

targeted audience is school age children.

Fiscal year 2000 funding: According to a NIDA official, NIDA awarded a

grant for $4,634,257 in fiscal year 2000 for the Monitoring the Future Study.

The study addressed, in part, prevention of underage drinking.

Description: OJJDP, within the Office of Justice Programs, provides

national leadership, coordination, and resources to develop, implement,

and support effective methods to prevent and control juvenile delinquency

and improve the juvenile justice system. This includes activities to enforce

underage drinking laws, educate the public about the problem, and involve

the justice system in responding appropriately and effectively to underage

drinking. These activities are accomplished through retail compliance

initiatives, prevention programs, and fostering a juvenile justice system

that, among other things, provides appropriate sanctions, treatment, and

rehabilitative services based on the needs of the individual juvenile.

OJJDP administers the Enforcing the Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL)

Program, which provides funds to states to support and enhance efforts to

prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages to—or the consumption of

alcoholic beverages by—minors (persons under age 21) . Congress

appropriated $25,000,000 for the program in fiscal year 2000. The funds are

disbursed through block and discretionary grants. The block grant

provided $360,000 to each state and the District of Columbia. In addition,

$6,640,000 was made available for discretionary grants to support local

program activity within states and territories, training and technical

assistance to the states, and evaluation of the overall program. EUDL

grants to states are awarded to an appropriate state agency designated by

each state’s governor.

Targeted drug and audience: The EUDL program is designed to reduce

the availability of alcoholic beverages to minors and prevent the

Department of Justice

Office of Juvenile Justice

and Delinquency

Prevention (OJJDP)
Appendix I: Federal Agencies That Had Fiscal

Year 2000 Program Activities Addressing

Prevention of Underage Drinking

Page 13 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

consumption of alcoholic beverages by minors. Related OJJDP program

activities include grants that target drug use by youth, including alcohol.

Fiscal year 2000 funding: As shown in table 5, OJJDP’s fiscal year 2000

total appropriated federal funding related to prevention of youth alcohol

and drug use was $44,023,796.

Table 5: OJJDP’s Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriated Federal Funding That Addressed

Prevention of Youth Alcohol and Drug Use, by Program Activity

Program activity

Federal funds appropriated

in fiscal year 2000

Block grants (EUDL) $18,360,000

EUDL discretionary grants (14)

Tribal Youth discretionary grants (34)

Other discretionary grants

$6,640,000

$7,702,019

$11,321,777

Total $44,023,796

Source: GAO analysis of OJJDP information.

Description: The mission of COPS is to improve public safety in

neighborhoods and communities through partnerships with communities,

policing agencies, and other public and private organizations. As part of its

mission, the COPS program provides funds for school safety and

community crime prevention initiatives. These initiatives include assigning

officers to schools to perform a variety of functions, which may

encompass activities such as teaching crime prevention and substance

abuse classes.

Targeted drug and audience: The COPS initiatives, in part, targeted

drug and alcohol use (i.e., substance abuse). The targeted audience

included youth and the broader community.

Fiscal year 2000 funding: A COPS budget official identified $180,000,000

in fiscal year 2000 appropriated federal funding for activities that

supported law enforcement officers who were directly assigned to

schools. Funding, in part, may have addressed prevention of underage

drinking, but the official could not tell us what portion of appropriated

federal funding may have addressed alcohol prevention activities.

Office of Community

Oriented Policing Services

(COPS)
Appendix I: Federal Agencies That Had Fiscal

Year 2000 Program Activities Addressing

Prevention of Underage Drinking

Page 14 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

Description: NHTSA funded programs that addressed the problems of

drunk and drugged driving and prevention programs targeting zero

tolerance for alcohol and drug use among youth. NHTSA administers a

formula and incentive grant program, awards discretionary grants and

contracts, and enters into cooperative agreements with other entities.

NHTSA reports that, under the Highway Safety Act of 1966 (23 U.S.C. 402),

it provides “section 402” formula grant funds to states, territories, and

Indian nations to conduct highway safety programs, which may include

underage drinking programs. In addition, NHTSA reports that, under 23

U.S.C. 410, it awards “section 410” incentive grants to states for the

implementation and enforcement of state programs to reduce traffic safety

problems resulting from alcohol-impaired driving, such as underage

drinking programs.

Targeted drug and audience: These NHTSA program activities targeted

drug and alcohol use. Some program activities targeted youth; others

targeted both youth and the broader community.

Fiscal year 2000 funding: As shown in table 6, NHTSA’s total fiscal year

2000 appropriated federal funding related to prevention of youth alcohol

and drug use was $23,903,000. The fiscal year 2000 funding for the formula

and incentive grants represents estimated portions that addressed

prevention of underage drinking.

Table 6: NHTSA’s Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriated Federal Funding That Addressed

Prevention of Youth Alcohol and Drug Use, by Program Activity

Program activity

Federal funds appropriated

in fiscal year 2000

Formula grants (section 402 ) $15,600,000

Incentive grants (section 410 ) $5,100,000

Discretionary grants (7 ) $550,000

Contracts (6 ) $2,573,000

Cooperative agreements (2 ) $80,000

Total $23,903,000

Source: GAO analysis of NHTSA information.

Department of

Transportation

National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration

(NHTSA)
Appendix I: Federal Agencies That Had Fiscal

Year 2000 Program Activities Addressing

Prevention of Underage Drinking

Page 15 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

Description: The Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program, within the Office

of Elementary and Secondary Education, is the federal government’s

primary vehicle for reducing drug, alcohol, and tobacco use, and violence,

through education and prevention activities in the nation’s schools. This

program consists of two major programs: (1) State Grants for Drug and

Violence Prevention Programs and (2) National Programs. State Grants is

a formula grant program that provides funds to state and local education

agencies, as well as governors, for a wide range of school- and communitybased education and prevention activities. The National Program carries

out a variety of discretionary initiatives that respond to emerging needs.

Among these initiatives are direct grants to school districts and

communities with severe drug and violence problems, program evaluation,

and information development and dissemination.

Targeted drug and audience: The Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program

targets drug and alcohol use, among other things. The target audience is

school-age children, but program activities can also include the broader

community.

Fiscal year 2000 funding: As shown in table 7, the Office of Elementary

and Secondary Education’s total fiscal year 2000 appropriated federal

funding related to prevention of youth drug and alcohol use was

$589,350,000.

Table 7: Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriated Federal Funding Identified by the Office of

Elementary and Secondary Education as Addressing Prevention of Youth Drug and

Alcohol Use, by Program Activity

Program activity

Federal funds appropriated

in fiscal year 2000

State Grants $428,600,000

National Programs $160,750,000

Total $589,350,000

Source: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Department of

Education

The Office of Elementary

and Secondary Education
Appendix I: Federal Agencies That Had Fiscal

Year 2000 Program Activities Addressing

Prevention of Underage Drinking

Page 16 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

Description: ETA administers the Job Corps Program, which is a national

residential training and employment program whose purpose is to assist

eligible young people to become more responsible, employable, and

productive citizens. Enrollees must be at least 16 but not yet 25 years of

age. As part of the Job Corps Program, trainees are to be screened for drug

and alcohol problems and to be provided prevention and intervention

services.

Targeted drug and audience: The program activity targeted drugs and

alcohol use. The target audience includes both youth and adults.

Fiscal year 2000 funding: An ETA official identified $8,272,023 in fiscal

year 2000 appropriated federal funding that, in part, may have addressed

prevention of alcohol use. However, the official could not tell us what

portion of appropriated federal funding may have addressed alcohol

prevention activities for youth.

Description: BLS identified three surveys in its National Longitudinal

Surveys (NLS) program that provide information on underage drinking.

The 1979 NLS of Youth includes a nationally representative sample of

nearly 10,000 people who were born in the years 1957 to 1964 and lived in

the United States when the sample was selected in 1978. The respondents

were 14 to 22 years of age when they were first interviewed in 1979.

Individuals were interviewed every year from 1979 to 1994 and biennially

since 1994. In 1986, BLS began a new survey of the children born to female

respondents of the 1979 NLS. This survey is called the Children of the NLS

Youth of 1979 and is funded by the National Institute of Child Health and

Human Development (NICHD). In 1997, BLS began another NLS with a

nationally representative sample of nearly 9,000 youths who were born in

the years 1980 to 1984. These youths were ages 12 to 16 as of December

31, 1996. All three surveys collect information about youth alcohol and

drug use, among other things, that could be used by policy makers to help

monitor trends and to devise drug and alcohol prevention strategies.

Targeted drug and audience: The NLS program targets drugs and

alcohol. The targeted audience includes both youth and adults.

Fiscal year 2000 funding: A BLS official identified $10,200,000 of

appropriated fiscal year 2000 federal funding for the NLS Youth of 1979

Department of Labor

Employment and Training

Administration (ETA)

Bureau of Labor Statistics

(BLS)
Appendix I: Federal Agencies That Had Fiscal

Year 2000 Program Activities Addressing

Prevention of Underage Drinking

Page 17 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

and NLS Youth of 1997 surveys. In addition, the official identified

$3,000,000 in appropriated fiscal year 2000 federal funding for the Children

of the NLS Youth of 1979. Thus, a total of $13,200,000 of fiscal year 2000

appropriated federal funding addressed, in part, prevention of underage

drinking.

Description: ONDCP is to set goals and objectives for national drug

control that include reducing the number of illegal drug users, preventing

use of illegal drugs, and reducing the availability of illegal drugs. In this

capacity, ONDCP carries out numerous responsibilities, one of which is

oversight of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program,

whose mission is to reduce drug trafficking activities in the most critical

drug trafficking areas. Several HIDTAs integrate drug education and early

intervention programs with law enforcement efforts to reduce youthful

involvement with illegal drugs and strengthen families and communities.

ONDCP also awards funds under the Drug-Free Communities Support

Program and provides general oversight of drug abuse prevention

programs. The Drug-Free Communities Support Program supports

community anti-drug coalitions throughout the United States in developing

and implementing comprehensive long-term plans to prevent and treat

drug abuse among youth. In addition, ONDCP was required by Congress

in 1998 to undertake a National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign to

reduce and prevent drug use among youth.3

 The campaign supports the

first goal of the 2000 National Drug Control Strategy, which is to educate

and enable America’s youth to reject illegal drugs as well as alcohol and

tobacco.

Targeted drug and audience: ONDCP program activities targeted drug

and alcohol use. Its targeted audience included both youth and the

broader community.

 3

21 U.S.C. 1801(a) (Supp. IV 1998).

Executive Office of

the White House

Office of National Drug

Control Policy (ONDCP)
Appendix I: Federal Agencies That Had Fiscal

Year 2000 Program Activities Addressing

Prevention of Underage Drinking

Page 18 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

Fiscal year 2000 funding: As shown in table 8, ONDCP officials

identified $219,944,000 in fiscal year 2000 appropriated funds as related to

youth alcohol and drug use prevention.

Table 8. ONDCP’s Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriated Federal Funding That Addressed

Prevention of Youth Alcohol and Drug Use, by Program Activity

Program activity

Federal funds appropriated

in fiscal year 2000

National Youth Anti-Drug Media

Campaign

$184,297,000

Drug-Free Communities Program $30,000,000

HITDA $3,124,000

Other prevention activities $2,523,000

Total $219,944,000

Source: GAO analysis of ONDCP information.

DOD’s Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs)

identified several military branches as having programs that may have

addressed, in part, prevention of underage drinking. In addition to these

programs, DOD also administers a worldwide survey of health behaviors

among military personnel. The survey, which began in 1980, asks active

duty service members about various health behaviors, including the use of

illegal drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and at-risk sexual behavior. The survey was

last administered in 1998 and is to be administered in 2001.

Description: The Young Marines Program focuses on illicit substance

abuse prevention with children 8 to 17 years of age.

Targeted drug and audience: According to a DOD official, all of the

youth outreach programs funded with DOD counterdrug funds were allencompassing. As such, they may have included an anti-alcohol message

but did not specifically target underage drinking. The programs addressed

school-age children.

Fiscal year 2000 funding: A DOD official identified $2,000,000 in fiscal

year 2000 appropriated funding from its counterdrug program activities for

the Young Marines program that, in part, may have addressed prevention

of underage drinking. However, the official could not tell us what portion

of the funding may have addressed prevention of alcohol use.

Department of

Defense (DOD)

U.S. Marine Corps
Appendix I: Federal Agencies That Had Fiscal

Year 2000 Program Activities Addressing

Prevention of Underage Drinking

Page 19 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

Description: The National Guard does not disperse its funding directly to

its various programs, but rather sends its funding to its state counterdrug

coordinator. The states then distribute funding to the programs based

upon the governor’s and adjutant general’s priorities. The National Guard

program activities included Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE),4

Drug Education for Youth (DEFY), Adopt a School, and Lunch Buddy.

Targeted drug and audience: According to DOD, all of the youth

outreach programs funded with DOD counterdrug funds are allencompassing. As such, they may include an anti-alcohol message but do

not specifically target underage drinking. The programs addressed schoolage children under 18 years of age.

Fiscal year 2000 funding: A DOD official identified $25,500,000 in fiscal

year 2000 appropriated federal funding from counterdrug activities that

was used to fund the National Guard programs. These programs may have,

in part, addressed prevention of underage drinking, but the official could

not tell us what portion of appropriated federal funding may have

addressed alcohol prevention activities.

Description: The U.S. Army Center for Substance Abuse Programs

(ACSAP) is the Army’s lead agency for substance abuse prevention,

education, and training. ACSAP provides operational supervision,

direction, evaluation, oversight, and policy development for all elements of

the Army Drug and Alcohol Prevention and Control Program. This

program serves more than 2 million Army personnel and their families

assigned to over 150 installations and Reserve commands worldwide on

needs as they pertain to alcohol and other drug prevention.

Targeted drug and audience: The program targeted both drug and

alcohol use. The targeted audience included both youth and the broader

community.

Fiscal year 2000 funding: According to a DOD official, the Army did not

have a discrete budgeted program that addressed prevention of alcohol

use by youth. Funding is for the Army Center for Substance Abuse

 4

DARE is a school-based program that uses trained, uniformed police officers in the

classroom to increase students’ knowledge about substance abuse and enhance their social

skills. Various law enforcement agencies participate in the program, such as the National

Guard, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Forest Service.

National Guard

United States Army
Appendix I: Federal Agencies That Had Fiscal

Year 2000 Program Activities Addressing

Prevention of Underage Drinking

Page 20 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

Programs, which is inclusive of all drugs and is targeted to a broad

audience.

Description: The Navy has a program that provides a means for

command- or self-referral, without risk of disciplinary action or career

implications, to service members who admit to having purchased,

possessed, or consumed alcohol in violation of the minimum age

requirements of the military installation, state, country, or local

jurisdiction in which the member is located. The program also provides for

alcohol counseling and/or treatment.

Targeted drug and audience: The Navy program targeted alcohol use by

service members under the minimum drinking age.

Fiscal year 2000 funding: According to a DOD official, the Navy did not

have a discrete budgeted program that addressed prevention of alcohol

use by youth. Funding for this program is included in the Navy’s larger and

broader prevention efforts.

Description: CNCS is a federal corporation governed by a 15-member

bipartisan Board of Directors appointed by the President with the advice

and consent of the Senate. The Corporation has three major service

activities: AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America, and the National Senior

Service Corps. CNCS awards grants to state commissions, which in turn

award sub-grants to local organizations. A small number of these

organizations receive grants for activities specifically involving drug

prevention (i.e., to include alcohol and other drugs). Other organizations

run youth programs, such as after-school programs, which by keeping

youth off the streets are considered to have an impact on the drug and

alcohol prevention effort.

Targeted drug and audience: The program activities targeted drug and

alcohol use, among other things. The targeted audience included both

youth and the broader community.

Fiscal year 2000 funding: A CNCS official identified $9,000,000 in fiscal

year 2000 appropriated federal funding that was awarded to organizations

and that, in part, may have addressed prevention of alcohol use.

United States Navy

Federal Corporation

Corporation for National

and Community Service

(CNCS)
Appendix I: Federal Agencies That Had Fiscal

Year 2000 Program Activities Addressing

Prevention of Underage Drinking

Page 21 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

According to the official, this funding level represents spending defined by

CNCS as having an indirect impact on the overall drug prevention effort

and it is impossible to separate out what portion of the funding may have

specifically addressed alcohol prevention activities for youth.

Description: ATF provides funding to state and local governments,

through cooperative agreements, for the Gang Resistance Education and

Training (GREAT) program. GREAT is a police-delivered program oriented

toward bringing an anti-violence, anti-drug message to the nation’s youth.

Targeted drug and audience: The GREAT program addressed drugs and

alcohol use, among other things. The targeted audience is youth.

Fiscal year 2000 funding: An ATF official identified $16,000,000 in fiscal

year 2000 appropriated federal funding for GREAT.

Description: The Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention

(OASAP) was established in the Office of the Secretary of Indian Affairs in

April 2000 to monitor and evaluate the BIA programs that have alcohol and

substance abuse prevention-related activities. The Director of OASAP

reported that BIA has several programs that may have addressed

prevention of underage drinking. These include the OASAP activities

focused on the American Indian and Alaskan Native youth populations; the

Office of the Indian Education Program, which funds BIA-operated

schools; and grant and contract Tribal schools, which provide students

with education about drug and alcohol use. BIA also provides a juvenile

delinquency prevention program in the Office of Law Enforcement and a

child protection program and youth emergency shelters program in the

Social Services Program.

Department of the

Treasury

Bureau of Alcohol,

Tobacco and Firearms

(ATF)

Department of the

Interior

Bureau of Indian Affairs

(BIA)
Appendix I: Federal Agencies That Had Fiscal

Year 2000 Program Activities Addressing

Prevention of Underage Drinking

Page 22 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

Targeted drug and audience: BIA activities targeted drug and alcohol

use. The targeted audience is school-age children.

Fiscal year 2000 funding: As of February 2001, OASAP had not

completed its evaluation of BIA programs. According to an agency official,

reporting on the exact amount of appropriated funding for each of these

programs, or the extent to which funding may have addressed prevention

of underage drinking, is difficult. OASAP identified about $1,800,000 in

fiscal year 2000 appropriated federal funding that may have addressed, in

part, prevention of underage drinking (i.e., addressed alcohol and drug use

education for its youth population). Of this amount, the agency official

estimated that $1,600,000 was spent in BIA-funded schools on prevention

of alcohol and drug use education activities in the classrooms.

Description: The National Park Service has programs to help increase

public education and awareness of the consequences of illicit drug,

alcohol, and tobacco use by underage populations. For example, the

National Park Service participates in DARE, a law enforcement officer-led

series of classroom lessons that teach children from kindergarten through

12th grade to resist peer pressure and live productive drug- and violencefree lives.

Targeted drug and audience: The National Park Service’s education

programs target drug and alcohol use, among other things, by school-age

children.

Fiscal year 2000 funding: A National Park Service official identified

$343,000 in fiscal year 2000 appropriated federal funding that, in part, may

have addressed prevention of underage drinking. However, the official

could not tell us what portion of federal appropriated funding may have

addressed prevention of underage drinking.

National Park Service
Appendix I: Federal Agencies That Had Fiscal

Year 2000 Program Activities Addressing

Prevention of Underage Drinking

Page 23 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

Description: The U.S. Forest Service participates in the DARE Program in

rural areas within and adjacent to National Forest System lands.

Targeted drug and audience: The DARE program may have addressed

drug and alcohol use. The targeted audience is youth.

Fiscal year 2000: A Forest Service official identified $125,000 in fiscal

year 2000 appropriated funding that, in part, may have addressed

prevention of underage drinking. However, the official could not tell us

what portion of appropriated federal funding may have addressed

prevention of underage drinking.

Description: HUD administers the Drug Elimination Grants for LowIncome Housing. Program activities include, among other things, drug

prevention, intervention, and treatment.

Targeted drug and audience: HUD program activities may have, in part,

addressed prevention of underage drinking as part of drug prevention

initiatives. The targeted audience included youth and the broader

commuinity.

Fiscal year 2000 funding: According to a HUD official, this program and

others within HUD may have addressed prevention of underage drinking

through alcohol counseling or job counseling to youth. However, HUD

records do not reflect the extent to which this may have occurred.

Department of

Agriculture

Forest Service

Department of

Housing and Urban

Development (HUD)

Public and Indian Housing
Appendix II: Information on Fiscal Year 2000

Appropriated Funding to Address Prevention

of Underage Drinking

Page 24 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

This appendix provides information on funding appropriated in fiscal year

2000 that agencies identified as addressing the prevention of underage

drinking (i.e., by youth under the age of 21).1

 The fiscal year 2000 funding

was categorized by drug focus and target audience. We categorized drug

focus to include two options: (1) alcohol use or (2) alcohol and other drug

use. With respect to target audience, we categorized the audience as either

(1) youth or (2) youth and the broader community.2

Information on fiscal year 2000 funding for activities such as discretionary

grants, contracts, interagency agreements, and cooperative agreements is

presented in table 9; information on block, formula, and incentive grant

programs is presented in table 10. Because block, formula, and incentive

grant programs allow recipients substantial discretion in allocating funds

and require limited federal administrative reporting, agency officials

estimated the portion of these grants that addressed prevention of

underage drinking. Therefore, the information is presented separately to

distinguish between appropriated funding for particular program activities

identified by agencies and estimated block, formula, and incentive grants.

Table 9 provides information on (1) funding for activities that were

particular to addressing prevention of alcohol use and that targeted youth

(i.e., that addressed prevention of underage drinking specifically); (2)

funding for activities that were particular to addressing prevention of

alcohol use and that targeted both youth and the broader community (i.e.,

that also addressed prevention of underage drinking specifically); and (3)

funding for activities that addressed prevention of alcohol use and other

drug use (i.e., that addressed, in part, prevention of underage drinking)

and that targeted either youth or youth and the broader community.

 1

We defined prevention as initiatives such as those associated with information, education,

research, and early intervention or treatment.

2

The broader community includes parents, college students over age 21, teachers, and

health care professionals.

Appendix II: Information on Fiscal Year 2000

Appropriated Funding to Address Prevention

of Underage Drinking
Appendix II: Information on Fiscal Year 2000

Appropriated Funding to Address Prevention

of Underage Drinking

Page 25 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

Table 9: Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriated Federal Funding That Agencies Identified as Addressing Prevention of Underage

Drinking

Appropriated funding for activities that addressed prevention of underage drinking by targeted

drug and audience

Agency

Drug:

Alcohol

Audience:

Youth

Drug:

Alcohol

Audience: Youth and

the broader community

Drug:

Alcohol and other drug use

Audience:

Youth or youth and the

broader community Total

Department of Health and Human Services

Administration for Children

and Families (ACF)

0 0 $15,000,000 $15,000,000

Substance Abuse and

Mental Health Services

Administration

(SAMHSA)

$2,094,590 $1,601,624 $304,484,620 $308,180,834

Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention

(CDC)

$241,098 0 $419,599 $660,697

Indian Health Service

(IHS)

0 0 $41,945,000 $41,945,000

National Institute on

Alcohol Abuse and

Alcoholism (NIAAA)

$19,200,270 $17,007,760 0 36,208,030

National Institute on Drug

Abuse (NIDA)

0 0 $4,634,257 $4,634,257

Department of Justice

Office of Juvenile Justice

and Delinquency

Prevention (OJJDP)

$27,797,467 0 $16,226,329 $44,023,796

Community Oriented

Policing Services (COPS)

0 0 $180,000,000 $180,000,000

Department of

Transportation

National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration

(NHTSA)

$2,931,000 $272,000 0 $3,203,000

Department of Education

Office of Elementary and

Secondary Education

(National Programs)

0 0 $160,750,000 $160,750,000

Department of Labor

Employment and Training

Administration (ETA)

0 0 $8,272,023 $8,272,023

Bureau of Labor Statistics

(BLS)

0 0 $13,200,000 $13,200,000

Executive Office of the White House

Office of National Drug

Control Policy (ONDCP)

0 0 $219,944,000 $219,944,000

Department of Defense (DOD)
Appendix II: Information on Fiscal Year 2000

Appropriated Funding to Address Prevention

of Underage Drinking

Page 26 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

Appropriated funding for activities that addressed prevention of underage drinking by targeted

drug and audience

Agency

Drug:

Alcohol

Audience:

Youth

Drug:

Alcohol

Audience: Youth and

the broader community

Drug:

Alcohol and other drug use

Audience:

Youth or youth and the

broader community Total

National Guard 0 0 $25,500,000 $25,500,000

U.S. Marine Corps 0 0 $2,000,000 $2,000,000

Federal Corporation

Corporation for National

and Community Service

(CNCS)

0 0 $9,000,000 $9,000,000

Department of the Treasury

Bureau of Alcohol,

Tobacco, and Firearms

(ATF)

0 0 $16,000,000 $16,000,000

Department of the Interior

Bureau of Indian Affairs

(BIA)

0 0 $1,800,000 $1,800,000

National Park Service 0 0 $343,000 $343,000

Department of Agriculture

U.S. Forest Service 0 0 $125,000 $125,000

Total $52,264,425 $18,881,384 $1,019,643,828 $1,090,789,637

Source: GAO analysis of agency data.

Table 10 provides information on agency block, formula, and incentive

grants that addressed, in part, prevention of underage drinking (i.e., that

addressed prevention of youth drug and alcohol use). The agencies

provided information on the total fiscal year 2000 appropriated federal

funding for these grants and estimated the portion that addressed

prevention of youth drug and alcohol use. As can be seen from the table,

about one-third of the total block, formula, and incentive grant funding is

estimated to address, in part, prevention of underage drinking.
Appendix II: Information on Fiscal Year 2000

Appropriated Funding to Address Prevention

of Underage Drinking

Page 27 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

Table 10: Estimated Portion of Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriated Federal Funding for Block, Formula, or Incentive Grants That

Addressed Youth Drug and Alcohol Use

Federal agency

Block, formula, or incentive

grant program

Total fiscal year 2000

appropriated funding

Estimated portion that

addressed, in part,

prevention of underage

drinking

Department of Education

Office of Elementary and

Secondary Education

Safe and Drug-Free Schools

and

Community Act–State Grants

Program

$439,250,000 $428,600,000

Department of Health and Human Services

SAMHSA Substance Abuse Prevention

and Treatment Block Grant

$1,600,000,000 $320,000,000a

Department of Transportation

State and Community Highway

Safety Grant Program

NHTSA $152,800,000 $15,600,000

Alcohol Impaired Driving

Countermeasures Grant

Program

$36,000,000 $5,100,000

Total $2,228,050,000 $769,300,000

a

This amount represents the 20 percent minimum designated by statute for substance abuse

prevention activities, including alcohol and drug abuse. (42 U.S.C. 300x-22(a), (b)(1). It includes not

only youth services, but those services for all age groups

Source: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, SAMHSA, and NHTSA.
Appendix III: Federal Agencies’ Fiscal Year

2000 Program Activities Related to Underage

Drinking That Included a Media Component

Page 28 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

This appendix provides information on federal agency program activities

that included a media component to publicize the problem of underage

drinking. We defined media component as radio and television broadcasts.

Agency officials provided information on particular program activities that

had a media component and general information regarding the extent that

media components were included in formula or block grants and in the

Office of National Drug Control Policy’s (ONDCP) National Youth AntiDrug Media Campaign.

Three agencies identified particular program activities with a media

component. As shown in table 11, for these three agencies, agency officials

identified 7 program activities with a media component out of 122 program

activities funded through discretionary grants, contracts, or interagency

agreements.

Table 11: Agency Program Activities That Specifically Addressed Alcohol Use by Youth and Included a Media Component

Agency

Total number of

program activities that

addressed alcohol use

by youth or targeted

both youth and the

broader community

Activities with a media

component that

targeted alcohol use

by youth

Activities with a media

component that

targeted alcohol use

by youth and for which

the audience was both

youth and the broader

community

Agency fiscal year

2000 appropriated

funding for program

activities that included

a media component

National Institute on

Alcohol Abuse and

Alcoholism (NIAAA)

90 2 0 $1,054,876

Substance Abuse and

Mental Health Services

Administration

(SAMHSA)

15 0 3 $291,600

National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration

(NHTSA)

17 2 0 $123,000

Total 122 4 3 $1,469,476

Source: GAO analysis of agency data.

Tables 12 provides information on the media components for the program

activities for the three agencies listed in table 11, including a description of

the media aspects of the program activity and the fiscal year 2000 funding

for the total program activity.

Appendix III: Federal Agencies’ Fiscal Year

2000 Program Activities Related to Underage

Drinking That Included a Media Component
Appendix III: Federal Agencies’ Fiscal Year

2000 Program Activities Related to Underage

Drinking That Included a Media Component

Page 29 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

Table 12: Program Activities That Included Alcohol-Related Media Components Targeted to Youth

Program activity by agency Description of media component

Fiscal year 2000 funding

for the program activity

NIAAA

Public Service Announcements This project proposes to develop and distribute two 30-second

television and two 30-second radio public service announcements.

The targeted audience for these will be 11- to 13-year-olds. This

activity has been funded by NIAAA and SAMHSA in the amounts of

$350,000 and $95,000, respectively.

$445,000

Media Intervention to Prevent

Youth Alcohol Use

This project includes, among other things, a mass media campaign

that is to target young people to reduce their demand for alcohol

through positive images of nondrinking lifestyles. The campaign

messages will begin in the 4th and 5th grade at eight rural school

districts in a particular state and are to continue over a 4-year period.

Parents of these young people will also be targeted by a mass media

campaign modeling supportive parental behaviors.

$609,876

SAMHSA

Alcohol Tips for Teens The tips are a series of 11 brochures. SAMHSA plans to issue a

press release that is to be directed toward print and radio media. The

Director for the Centers for Substance Abuse Prevention also plans

to provide an editorial for the print media on the tips. The program

targets 12- to 17-year-olds, schools, counselors, and healthcare

professionals.

$40,600

Preventing Underage and

Binge Drinking and Alcohol

Problems Among Youth and

College Students in El Paso

and Brownsville, Texas

A subcontractor is scheduled, among other things, to conduct

surveys at the Mexican border and to provide technical support in

media advocacy of the survey findings, including a local seminar, two

media advocacy seminars, and two police workshops. The goals of

this project are to increase media recognition of the problem,

decrease cross border high-risk activity, and decrease violence

associated with binge drinking and alcohol use. The targeted

audience is underage youth, especially college students.

$250,000

Addiction Technology Transfer

Center

This program activity is for a national broadcast of a seminar entitled

“Combating Underage Drinking.” The seminar was advertised by

flyers and on SAMHSA’s Web site. The targeted audience is student

service professionals, faculty, and students in postsecondary

institutions in a particular state.

$1,000

NHTSA

Black Entertainment Television

Network (BET)

BET conducted a series of forums in selected locations that facilitated

teen discussions focusing on the dangers of impaired driving,

underage drinking, penalties for violators of zero tolerance laws, and

general traffic facts. During the 1999 and 2000 prom and graduation

season, BET’s national youth talk show “Teen Summit” aired a

segment on alcohol-free events for prom attendees and driving tips

for teens who planned to drive to the prom. BET cable estimated that

more than 6 million youth viewed the special prom and graduation

episode.

$63,000

National Zero Tolerance

Education

Project funded a 1-hour single site teleconference focusing on youth

and law enforcement relationships as they relate to Zero Tolerance

enforcement and promotion. The teleconference will be broadcast by

satellite and will also be available on the Internet.

$60,000

Source: NIAAA, SAMHSA, and NHTSA
Appendix III: Federal Agencies’ Fiscal Year

2000 Program Activities Related to Underage

Drinking That Included a Media Component

Page 30 GAO-01-503 Underage Drinking

In addition to the particular program activities identified as having media

components, agency officials who manage block or formula grant

programs said that these programs may also include media components.

However, they could not provide detailed information on state program

activities under these grants because block and formula grant programs

allow recipients substantial discretion to identify problems, design

programs, and allocate funds. In addition, federal administrative reporting

requirements for these types of grants are limited.

While federal program managers did not have specific information

regarding the use of the block or formula grant funds, NHTSA and Office

of Elementary and Secondary Education officials provided general

information regarding the use of these funds for media campaigns. NHTSA

officials said that the State and Community Highway Safety Grant Program

permitted states to use funds to pay for media advertising as part of a

highway safety program in fiscal year 2000, and that the Alcohol Impaired

Driving Countermeasures Grant Program permits states to use funds to

pay for the development of materials for free television or radio airings or

print advertisements, but does not permit payment for media advertising.

According to an official at the Office of Elementary and Secondary

Education, 838 projects—about 40 percent of the projects implemented—

in the Safe and Drug-Free School and Communities Act State Grant

Program included media activities. About one-third of the 23 projects

funded in the National Program authorized in the same act included some

type of media advertising component.

Besides the programs mentioned above, ONDCP officials said that some of

the match funding from the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign

had been used to air anti-alcohol public service announcements to youth.

The agency does not routinely track the extent to which this has occurred.

However, ONDCP had a one-time value estimate of $25 million on the

amount provided to nonprofit groups and government agencies for

alcohol-related messages during a 30-month time period ending in

December 2000. The targeted audience for these messages included both

youth and the broader community.

(440005)
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