STUDY SAYS MONEY FOR DRUG ABUSE MISSPENT

TALLAHASSEE -- Florida taxpayers spent $214.70 per person to deal with the
effects of drug and alcohol abuse in 1998 but only $5.28 of that went to
trying to prevent abuse and treat abusers, a new private study says.

While just under 10 percent of the state's budget went to "shovel up the
wreckage of substance abuse and addiction," 0.2 percent of the budget went
for drug abuse prevention and treatment, according to the study released
Monday by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia
University.

It also concludes that 25 percent of the money spent on health programs is
the result of drug abuse.

Overall, Florida's drug czar, Jim McDonough, agreed with the conclusion of
the study that states don't spend enough on prevention which leads to more
spending on law enforcement and health care costs later.