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Chapter I.
Changing Patterns of Drug Use in America
E. Drug Use Continues to Take a Toll on American Society
Illegal drugs cost our society approximately 110 billion dollars each year, (Fig 4) according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA). Estimates of these costs have risen steadily since 1985, despite decreases in the number
of Americans who use illegal drugs.
The Economic Costs relating to alcohol and drug abuse are increasing, adding up to $377 billion in 1995
Figure 4
| Sources: Rice et al. 1990; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 1993; National Institute on Drug Abuse & National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, March 1998 |
Accidents, crime, domestic violence, illness, lost opportunity, and reduced productivity are the direct consequences of substance abuse. Drug and alcohol use by children often leads to other forms of unhealthy, unproductive behavior including delinquency and premature, unsafe sex. Drug abuse and trafficking hurt families, businesses, and neighborhoods, impede education, and choke criminal justice, health, and social-service systems.
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