|
 |
Fact Sheet
Treatment Works
The Costs of Alcohol and Drug Abuse
- Alcohol and drug abuse cost over $166 billion each year in lost
productivity, law enforcement, criminal case processing,
treatment and health care (Robert Wood Johnson 1993) (1.)
- An estimated 27.8 million Americans need substance abuse treatment (National
Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 1996)(2.)
- 33 percent of all criminal justice costs relate to substance abuse (Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation) (3.)
- More than 70 conditions requiring hospitalization, most notably cancer,
heart disease and HIV/AIDS, have risk factors associated with substance abuse, and $1 of
every $5 Medicaid spends on hospital care is attributable to substance abuse or a related
condition (4.)
Treatment Is a Good Investment
- A recent California study found that $1 invested in substance abuse
treatment saves taxpayers $7 in future costs (5.).
- An earlier UCLA study estimated that $1 invested in treatment could save
$11.54 in combined medical and social costs (6.)
- In Oregon, for every $1 spent on substance abuse treatment $5.60 was
returned in public savings on reduced welfare, food stamps, Medicaid, crime courts and imprisonment. $14.9 million in tax funds spent in 1991-92 on treatment
produced at least $83.1 million in avoided costs over the next three years (7.)
- In Minnesota, each $1 spent on treatment earned an $.80 offset within the
first year through reductions in costs associated with clients' medical, hospital,
psychiatric, justice and other costs (8.)
Treatment Reduces Substance Abuse (9.)
Preliminary results from a CSAT-funded treatment evaluation show that
during treatment:
- Crack use decreased by 85 percent
- Cocaine use decreased by 62 percent
- Heroin use decreased by 40 percent
- Marijuana decreased by 73 percent
- Alcohol use decreased by 67 percent
The same evaluation shows that one year after treatment:
- Crack use remained down by 60 percent
- Cocaine use remained down by 42 percent
- Heroin use remained down by 45 percent
- Marijuana use remained down by 41 percent
- Alcohol use remained down by 25 percent
Street Slang Names For Drugs
For a complete list of slang terms for drug and drug activity you can download the following file, drug terms (175K), complements of
ONDCP Drug Policy Information Clearinghouse.You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader
Software to view this file.
Top of the page
|