Previous research has established a strong link between the use of illicit drugs and the commission of criminal acts, including both predatory and property crimes. The current study fills a void in this research literature by estimating the cost of crimes associated with drug users as both victims and perpetrators. Participants were a targeted group of 926 CDU’s and a matched sample of 553 non-drug users (NDU) recruited from Miami-Dade County, FL. The Health Services Research Instrument was developed in order to collect information regarding demographics, health status, morbidity, health care utilization, barriers to health care, drug use, and other lifestyle behaviors. Two models estimated: (1) the probability of being either a victim or a perpetrator of crime, and (2) the cost of crime in both cases. A smearing technique was employed to compare the cost of crime for CDU’s versus NDU’s. Results indicated that CDU’s generated extensive social costs through their involvement as both victims and perpetrators of crimes. Compared with NDU’s, CDU’s were 73.11 percent more likely to be involved with any crime. In addition to the costs associated with their crimes and their strain on the criminal justice and correctional systems, those with chronic substance abuse problems also tax the health care industry. Given the significant social burden caused by drug-involved offenders, social policy should focus on effective interventions designed to ease the burden on the correctional industry and increase treatment opportunities for offenders. Future analyses of problematic drug use and the cost of criminal activity should use a nationally representative sample and attempt to verify self-reported information through official sources, such as criminal justice data. Tables, references