The Drug Problem Affects Us All

In my brief experience with the Recovery Movement, I quickly noticed the general public's indifference to the problem. The prevailing paradigm of a "drug addict" as the old guy under the bridge drinking from a bottle in a paper bag or the "junkie" in the alley with a needle stuck in his/her arm has made it easy for the average person to ignore the problem as something not affecting them or needing their concern.

But it should.

In this article, we are going to talk about why you should be concerned from a financial and fiscal perspective. But you should also examine your understanding of the problem from a social and humanitarian perspective. People who struggle with addiction are not isolated "junkies." They have careers, families, and children. They are sons and daughters of loving families...families just like yours. The drug problem is destroying millions of lives and families, and harming countless communities and cities. More on that in the future.

For now, lets take a look at how our country and your pocketbook are affected.

Substance Abuse Costs More than Medicaid, More than Medicare

As of the writing of this post, our government is currently up against another budget shortfall and budget spending negotiation. The standard players are all up for debate: Defense, education, healthcare,social security etc. These are all hotly debated issues with far reaching consequences.

Surely you have felt the impact of policies on some of these issues? How do you feel about the changes in your health insurance costs this year? Ouch! How about taxes? Ugh!

The fact is, we all spend A LOT of our hard earned dollars on spending that is out of our direct control.

Unfortunately, one budget item that will not be in the news this year is the cost of substance abuse in America. Maybe you haven't thought about the money you are spending every month on this issue.

Estimates on the actual cost of substance abuse in America is somewhat variable. Anywhere from 400 to 700 Billion (capital B) dollars. Don't breeze over that. Take some time to chew on that number. That is an economy wrecking number and means that this problem is taking root everywhere.

Remember several years ago when the hot debate was to stop public funding for National Public Radio (NPR)? If I remember, that would have saved us around $90 million. Not a small number, but only 0.12% of $700 Billion. Infinitesimally small!

State Spending on Substance Abuse

State spending may be even more eye opening as the cost to manage the substance abuse problem in states is typically the 2nd largest budget item. Substance abuse spending is second only to elementary and secondary education, but is typically more than what we spend on Medicaid, higher education, and transportation.

Where does this cost come from

Substance abuse and addiction increases, for example, the cost of America’s prisons and jails; Medicaid and other health programs; elementary and secondary schools; child welfare, juvenile justice and mental health systems; public safety; and government payrolls. 95% of every dollar spent on the issue of substance abuse is spent through these programs.

Drug Related Hospital Emergency Room Visits

Side Note: According to a report published by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, "1.9 percent (of federal dollars spent on substance abuse) went to fund prevention and treatment programs aimed at reducing the incidence and consequences of substance abuse and addiction." (i)

Where is Drug Policy Going

The massive increase in federal and state spending on the problem of substance abuse can be traced back to the 1980's and earlier. Particularly, the "war on drugs." With all of the billions of dollars spent, all we can truly say is the the problem has become exponentially worse.

Many experts point to public policy as part of the problem. Particularly, trying to incarcerate our way out of the problem. Treating substance abuse as a moral failing and punishment as the answer. However, addiction is a chronic, relapsing brain disease. More on that later but if you are interested in reading more, click here: Blame Addiction on Poor Willpower?

We are ALL in this together

Whether you have personal experience with substance abuse, or your like me and have been fortunate enough to have never been personally touched, the problem of substance abuse in America affects us all. The problem is growing exponentially, and taking up more and more of our federal and state budgets. We are ALL in this together.

Just as we examine the budgetary costs and effectiveness of programs like social security, we should also examine the effectiveness of policy expenditures in substance abuse. Are policies effective? Are we making progress or exacerbating the problem? The second biggest expenditure in substance abuse is incarceration, where as less than 2.5% goes to treatment and prevention.

Thoughts?

Information for this post was taken from multiple sources such as:

(i) Impact of Substance Abuse Federal State and Local Budgets
(ii)Current US Federal Government Spending
(iii)Drug Addiction Treatment Worth Its Cost?