The Rising Cost Of Drug TreatmentThe rise in the amount of drug and substance abuse in the United States has resulted to a corresponding rise in the cost of drug treatment, either shouldered by the individual user or the society. However, the government is more than willing to foot the bill for the drug treatment of its citizens as opposed to facing a society full of drug and substance abusers. A person undergoing methadone treatment can spend at least $4,700 annually. The rise in drug addiction has led to the establishment of drug and alcohol rehab centers in various states, all willing and able to accept private patients who are financially capable of paying to face the cost of drug treatment. The government views the shouldering the mounting cost of drug treatment as more more-cost effective than the cost of incarcerating drug users, considering that it requires at least $18,400 annually to take care of a an imprisoned drug abuser. Failure to provide drug treatment to drug abusers will also mean a greater cost to the peace and order of society. Data shows that every dollar invested by the US government for drug treatment results to about 4 to 7 dollars in terms of a decrease in the cost of providing criminal justice for drug-related cases. This can even rise to a $12 savings if the cost of drug-related healthcare is considered. It is also more cost effective considering the following:
A report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration shows that the cost of methadone drug treatment per admission can reach up to $7,433 (outpatient) and $3,840 (inpatient). While the cost of drug treatment is still cheap compared to the social and health costs that the government has to shell out, you can just imagine the social improvement that can be brought about if such amount is used for social and educational services. Of the $9.9 billion spent for health purposes, almost 50% or $4.4 billion was eyed as the cost of drug treatment (which includes drug abuse prevention, detoxification, treatment and research). Add to this the whooping $5.5 billion spent for other health problems and injuries (which includes HIV and AIDS initiatives). The cost of drug treatment should not only be viewed in terms of the amount spent but for the amount of money lost in terms of lost income (this was estimated at $14.6 billion for the almost 250 thousand drug-related deaths in 1992). Also factor in the amount of work and production that have been lost due to reduced productivity (which was estimated at $14.2 billion for the same period). While a portion of the cost of drug treatment is shouldered by the drug addict or his family (an estimated $42.9 billion), it is really the government (which means the society as a whole, through tax payments, shoulder the cost of drug addiction) that takes on a major portion of the cost. As per the National Institute on Drug Abuse data, the United States spent $97.7 billion for the following drug-related costs:
A society spending this much for drug-related treatments should think twice about drug prevention in the future. If not, the cost for drug treatment can increase two or three-folds over the years which will allow for unwise allocation of resources that is better spent for the improvement of society. |