The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) has the responsibility for creating policies, priorities, and objectives for the federal Drug Control Program. This national program is aimed at reducing the use, manufacturing, and trafficking of illicit drugs and the reduction of drug-related crime and violence and of drug-related health consequences. ONDCP is located in the Executive Office of the President. It was initially created by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 and most recently reauthorized in the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2006. ONDCP was authorized to receive "such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2006 through 2010." Authorization for ONDCP expired at the end of FY2010, but it has continued to receive appropriations. Congress, while continuously charged with ONDCP's oversight, is now faced with its possible reauthorization. The director of ONDCP, often referred to as the "Drug Czar," has numerous responsibilities, of which the primary three are developing a comprehensive National Drug Control Strategy to direct the nation's anti-drug efforts; developing and overseeing a National Drug Control Budget to implement the National Drug Control Strategy, including determining the adequacy of the drug control budgets submitted by contributing Drug Control Program agencies (listed below); and coordinating, overseeing, and evaluating the effectiveness of federal anti-drug policies and the National Drug Control Strategy implementation by the various agencies contributing to the Drug Control Program. In carrying out these responsibilities, former Director R. Gil Kerlikowske put an end to the use of the term "war on drugs," and current Acting Director Michael Botticelli has referred to the war on drugs as "outdated." The Obama Administration views a comprehensive drug control strategy as one that includes a range of prevention, treatment, and law enforcement elements and "is guided by what experience, compassion, and science demonstrate about the true nature of drug use in America." Most of the American public reportedly concurs with the government's view that drug use is a significant challenge facing the nation. According to a 2014 Gallup survey, 63% of respondents reported that they worry a "great deal" or "fair amount" about drug use as a problem in the United States while 37% reported that they worry "only a little" or "not at all" about this issue. This report provides a discussion of the National Drug Control Strategy, the National Drug Control Budget, and ONDCP's evaluation of the National Drug Control Strategy implementation. It then provides an analysis of selected legislative and oversight issues that Congress may consider when debating the reauthorization of ONDCP. Policy makers may question the status of the war on drugs, whether drug use should be seen as more of a law enforcement issue or a public health issue, and whether drug control resources are more effective when directed toward prevention and treatment or toward law enforcement. Another issue for consideration is whether the revised National Drug Control Budget represents a complete view of federal drug control activities in the United States. Further, Congress may exercise oversight over ONDCP's means of evaluating the nation's federal drug control programs. Given the current public debate over the legal status of marijuana, Congress may also choose to address ONDCP's ability to support or oppose marijuana legalization. Current law requires the Director of National Drug Control Policy to (1) ensure that no federal funds appropriated to ONDCP are expended for any study or contract relating to the legalization of a substance listed in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act and (2) oppose any attempt to legalize the use of any such substance that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved for use for medical purposes. Congress has specified that the purpose of the National Drug Control Strategy (Strategy) is to outline a plan to reduce (1) illicit drug consumption in the United States and (2) the consequences of such use. In creating the Strategy, ONDCP consults with the contributing federal Drug Control Program agencies as well as Congress; state, local, and tribal officials; foreign government representatives; and private sector representatives with expertise in both supply and demand reduction. In each Strategy since 2010, ONDCP has outlined seven specific objectives—to be accomplished by 2015—aimed at reducing both illicit drug use and its consequences. These objectives include reducing the following: The prevalence of 12- to 17-year-olds who report having used any illicit drugs in the past 30 days (by 15%). According to the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 9.4% of youth in this age range report being "current" (in the past month) users of illicit drugs. The prevalence of 8 th graders who report having used any alcohol, tobacco, or illicit drugs in their lifetimes (by 15%). According to the 2013 Monitoring the Future study, 27.8% of 8 th graders report having had alcohol (1.7% decline since 2012), 14.8% of 8 th graders report having used cigarettes (0.8% decline since 2012), and 20.3% of 8 th graders report having used some form of illicit drug in their lifetimes (1.8% increase since 2012). The prevalence of 18- to 25-year-olds who report having used any illicit drugs in the past 30 days (by 10%). Notably, 21.5% of adults in this age range reported being current illicit drug users in 2013. The number of chronic drug users (by 15%). For instance, the 2013 NSDUH suggests that about 8.1 million individuals used marijuana on a daily or near-daily basis in the previous year. The number of drug-induced deaths (by 15%). In 2011, there were a reported 43,544 drug-induced deaths in the United States. Drug-related morbidity (by 15%). In 2011, the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) estimates there were over 5 million drug-related emergency department visits. The prevalence of drugged driving (by 10%). In 2013, an estimated 3.8% of the 12-and-older population drove under the influence of an illicit drug. This represents a decrease from the rate in 2012 (3.9%). In order to attain these goals, the Strategy proposes initiatives to bolster community-based drug prevention efforts; expand health care opportunities, both for early drug and substance abuse intervention as well as for treatment and recovery; end the cycle of drug use, crime, and incarceration; disrupt domestic drug production and trafficking; strengthen international law enforcement, intelligence, and civic partnerships; and enhance the use of science to inform program evaluation and policymaking. In addition to revising the orientation of the Strategy, ONDCP identifies three policy priorities where the Administration believes there can be substantial progress over the short term. These priorities include reducing prescription drug abuse, addressing drugged driving, and preventing drug use before it begins. The 2014 Strategy highlights certain issues that merit special attention, including the threat of new synthetic drugs and cooperation with international partners in combating transnational organized crime. In a review of ONDCP's revised Strategy and programs included in the federal drug control budget, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that "[ONDCP] and federal agencies have not made progress toward achieving most of the goals articulated in the 2010 National Drug Strategy ... but are reported to be on track to implement most Strategy action items intended to support these goals." GAO also concluded that federal drug abuse programs are "fragmented and overlapping" and recommended that ONDCP assist federal agencies in coordinating efforts and reducing inefficiencies. The Obama Administration describes prescription drug abuse as the nation's fastest growing drug problem, and in 2011, released a prescription drug abuse plan, Epidemic: Responding to America's Prescription Drug Abuse Crisis . The plan expanded upon the Strategy's action items that specifically addressed demand reduction. Some action items included additional training and education for physicians and pharmacists, improved drug disposal programs, enhanced prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), and improved cooperation and information sharing among PDMPs. Health statistics support the Administration's statements on the rising problem of prescription drug abuse. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hospital visits for abuse of prescription drugs are now as common as hospital visits for abuse of illicit drugs. Of the 1.6 million hospital visits for all misused or abused drugs, 500,000 involved abuse of prescription drugs in 2004. In 2008, 1 million of the 2 million total visits involving drug abuse involved abuse of prescription drugs. ONDCP has issued two supplemental strategies to address drug trafficking and U.S. border security. The National Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy , first released in 2009 and subsequently updated in 2011 and 2013, describes the Obama Administration's efforts to disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking networks that operate along the Southwest border and reduce drug use and crime in border communities. One of the top concerns is the increased amount of heroin seized at the border, which increased by 232% from 2008 to 2012. In 2012, the Obama Administration released its first National Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy , and in August 2014, the Administration updated and expanded upon this strategy. It describes transnational criminal organizations' illicit drug operations across the U.S.-Canada border. Top concerns include cocaine trafficking through the United States and into Canada, exploitation of tribal lands for smuggling illicit drugs, and trafficking of MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine; also known as ecstasy), and other synthetic substances from Canada into the United States. ONDCP specifies objectives and actions to address these issues in its strategy including improving relationships and counterdrug efforts on tribal lands and enhancing law enforcement cooperation with Canada. In creating the National Drug Control Strategy, ONDCP consults with the various federal Drug Control Program agencies; ONDCP then reviews their respective drug budgets and incorporates them into the National Drug Control Budget (Budget), which is submitted to Congress as part of the annual appropriations process.