Pubdate: Mon, 29 May 2006
Source: Daily Observer, The (CN ON)
Copyright: 2006, Osprey Media Group Inc.
Contact:  http://www.thedailyobserver.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2615
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

THE HIGH COST OF DRUG USE

A recent research report indicates that drug use in Canada is 
exacting a heavy financial toll, nearly $40 million a year. A report 
by a national addiction agency says the use of a variety of drugs, 
legal and illegal, batter our economy and the users of alcohol and 
tobacco incur the vast majority of total costs. The use of illegal 
drugs results in about 20 per cent of the total amount.

Loss of productivity jumped out at the research team. In 2002, the 
last year a full study was done, it was estimated at $24.3 billion, 
followed by $8.8 billion in health care costs. Statistics show that 
alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs account for 20 per cent of all 
acute care hospital beds in Canada today. Law enforcement costs of 
legal and illegal drugs was set at $5.4 billion, which represents 
roughly half the cost of the entire criminal justice system.

The study, by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, takes into 
account any cost to society caused by drug use, so it includes a wide 
range of people, not just hard core addicts.

Jurgen Rhem, the study's principal investigator, said about 80 per 
cent of people who drink alcohol cause no social cost, but that 
leaves a large number of people causing huge costs. He said the cost 
of substance abuse in Canada is significant and is on the rise. A 
similar study a decade ago set the cost at about half what it is today.

"This is a wake-up call," Rhem said.

The largest component of the cost was linked to disability and 
premature death, which accounted for 61 per cent of the total. In 
terms of specific drug costs, tobacco was the most expensive, costing 
$17 billion for the year studied while alcohol cost us $14.6 billion 
and illegal drugs a further $8.2 billion. The study did not include 
the private costs incurred by users of drugs in purchasing them or 
revenue generated by the purchase of alcohol and tobacco which are 
heavily taxed by government.

The report simply laid out the facts and offered no solution. It did 
not suggest banning alcohol, and said we need to avoid a shotgun 
approach and understand where the full costs lie. There are no simple 
solutions, and simply legalizing a drug does not mean the problem will go away.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman