A report from the Virginia legislature said that there has been little evaluation of the effectiveness of the state's $106 million investment in addiction treatment and prevention in 2006, even though programs are supposed to be legally bound to demonstrate their outcomes.

The National Examiner reported June 12 that the report from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission also found that $18 million appropriated for addiction services in 2006 never got spent.

"While it is largely unknown whether Virginia prevention programs yield positive results, the allocation of existing resources could be improved with evaluations, greater state coordination and direction, and additional focus placed on ensuring the proper implementation of proven practices," the report said.

The study was commissioned in response to concerns that services were not readily available to many Virginia residents with addiction problems.