Exposing the myths about
the "costs" of drug use

Here's the way it looks to the Office of National Drug Control Policy:


Estimated Costs to Society of Drug Abuse,1992-2000 ($ Millions)

Year

Health care costs

Productivity losses

Other costs

Total

1992 

10,820

69,421

21,912

102,154

1993 

11,114

77,972

22,410

111,496

1994 

11,279

82,685

24,440

118,404

1995 

11,305

88,085

27,120

126,510

1996 

11,428

92,423

27,444

131,295

1997 

12,085

94,470

30,526

137,082

1998 

12,862

98,467

32,083

143,411

19991

13,860

104,353

34,295

152,508

20001

14,899

110,491

35,274

160,664

1Figures for 1999 and 2000 are projections based on observable trends for 1992 through 1998.

Source: Office of National Drug Control Policy. The Economic Costs of Drug Abuse in the United States, 1992-2000 (September 2001).

Discussion

Clearly, the bulk of costs are those related to lost productivity, with other costs a distant second, and health care costs trailing behind at half the cost of "other." To understand what this all means however, requires a full breakdown of the cost aggregations. Let's have a look shall we:

Health Care Costs include:

  • Community-Based Specialty Treatment
  • Federally-Provided Specialty Treatment
  • Support (prevention, training, research and insurance administration)
  • Medical Consequences
Productivity Losses include:
  • Premature Death
  • Drug Abuse Related Illness
  • Institutionalization/Hospitalization
  • Productivity Loss of Victims of Crime
  • Incarceration
  • Crime Careers
Other Costs include:
  • Criminal Justice System and Other Public Costs
  • Private Costs
  • Social Welfare

So why were these particular cost breakdowns chosen? If we really want to know what is going on, shouldn't we aggregate and compare the costs of drug use to the costs of drug war?

Yes, we should look at the data that way. When we do, it shows us quite convincingly that we are spending three times as much money trying to stop drug use, than the actual drug use is supposedly costing us:


Click the graphic to get the whole story

2005 Update

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