As the District struggles to solve long-standing substance abuse problems, officials have little information about drug and alcohol use to know whether new programs are helping D.C. conquer the dependencies.

In 2000, the District estimated 60,000 residents, or roughly 12 percent of the population, were substance abusers. As of 2003, according to federal studies, the percentage hadn’t changed. And no new local studies have been performed to quantify the number of users, though a new household survey is planned for next year. The lack of new substance abuse-related data “creates a challenging policymaking environment” for Mayor Anthony Williams’ Task Force on Substance Abuse, Prevention, Treatment and Control, according to the group’s 2005 annual report. The report found the District “is not making significant progress toward its goal of reducing the number of individuals dependent on or abusing alcohol or illicit drugs to 35,000 by 2010.”