Drugs and Society

Many impacts at many levelsDrugs and SocietyHow much does it cost?According to the NIDA substance abuse costs the nation a half a trillion dollars each year. Thats $500,000,000,000.According to 2005 statistics, that was about 10% of the budget for federal, state, and local governments combined.

What are some of the costs?Health Care systemsJustice SystemProductivityEnvironmentHealth CareTreatment programs for addictionEmergency CareOverdosesInjuries to usersInjuries to othersCar accidentsMeth lab firescrimeJusticeSystem is burdened at every levelArrestsAdjudicationIncarcerationPost-release supervisionDrug courts have alleviated some burdenNon-adversarial, coordinated approachProductivityPremature mortality, illness, injury, and imprisonment all reduce national productivityAround 25,000 deaths a year occur due to drug overdose or poisoningPeople who enter treatment are incapacitated and exit the labor forceIncarceration due to drugs has about 620,000 people out of the work forceDrug related unemployment and absenteeism account for lost productivity as wellEnvironmentEnvironmental impacts are costly as wellMethamphetamine production causes most of the damage due to chemicals involvedIn 2009- in California, cleanup of meth labs cost nearly $800,000. There is no nationwide data, but with 50 states, the cost is likely in the tens of millions of dollars rangeOutdoor cannabis production causes issues due to clear cutting, erosion, watersheds being altered, and chemicals such as pesticides

What to do?TreatmentTreatment is costly, but lets look at it for a moment. Methadone treatment, used to help break addiction to opiates (like heroin) costs $4700 a year per patient. Incarceration for that same person is $24,000 a year.EducationStudies show that community prevention programs may save as much as $10 for every $1 spentDoes society influence abuse levels?Family, community, and culture all have an influence.A study of Asian American and European American students showed a significantly lower percentage of alcohol use among the Asian American studentsAsian family structure tends to be more closely knitLess time spent with peers and more with familySocioeconomic status has influence as wellStudies indicate that households with high education and income may put adolescents more at risk for binge drinking and marijuana useThey also indicate that households with low education and income put adolescents more at risk for drug useCould be a variety of reasons. For example, low income parents and high income parents may work long hours and have less time to spend with children.

Sourceshttp://www.justice.gov/ndic/pubs38/38661/drugImpact.htmhttp://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/principles-drug-addiction-treatment/frequently-asked-questions/drug-addiction-treatment-worth-its-costhttp://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/preventing-drug-abuse-among-children-adolescents/chapter-3-applying-prevention-principles-to-drug-abuse-preven-4http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/28/us/28addiction.htmlhttp://www.cgu.edu/PDFFiles/sbos/DonaldsonAuSubstanceUse.pdfhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2924306/?tool=pubmedhttp://epirev.oxfordjournals.org/content/26/1/36.full