DRUG ABUSE COSTS STATES HEAVILY

A Study Estimates States Spend As Much As They Do On Higher Education

WASHINGTON -- Dealing with the effects of drug, alcohol and cigarette abuse
cost states about as much as they pay for higher education, a private study
estimates.

States spent $81.3 billion dealing with substance abuse in 1998 -- or about
13 percent of their budgets, according to the study released today by the
National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.

The three-year, state-by-state study, titled "Shoveling Up: The Impact of
Substance Abuse on State Budgets," put New York at the top in percentage of
funds -- 18 percent of its budget -- spent to "shovel up the wreckage" of
abuse. South Carolina had the lowest percentage -- under 7 percent.

Hawaii was seventh among the states included in the study, with a per
capita spending of $368. The national average was $299.

"Substance abuse and addiction is the elephant in the living room of state
government, creating havoc with service systems, causing illness, injury
and death and consuming increasing amounts of state resources," said Joseph
A. Califano Jr., the center's president.

Only about 4 percent of the amount spent, or $3 billion, was for prevention
and treatment programs, Califano said. The rest of the money spent was
drawn from state services ranging from law enforcement and welfare to
health care and education.

The report recommends greater investment in prevention and treatment,
particularly among prisoners to keep them from committing drug-related
crimes after their release.

"Governors who want to curb child abuse, teen pregnancy and domestic
violence and further reduce welfare rolls must face up to this reality:
Unless they prevent and treat alcohol and drug abuse and addiction, their
other well-intentioned efforts are doomed," Califano said.

Total state spending in 1998 was $620 billion, with 13.1 percent related to
substance abuse, the report said. By comparison, states spent an average of
13.1 percent of their budgets on higher education, 11.3 percent on Medicaid
and 8.3 percent on transportation.

State justice systems had the largest portion of the expenses attributed to
substance abuse, spending $30.7 billion on prisons, juvenile justice and
court costs.

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy said the report
demonstrates the need for a "balanced strategy" to deal with drug abuse.

"We cannot simply arrest our way out of the problem," Edward H. Jurith,
acting director of the office, said in a statement. "Treatment programs
that follow a criminal from arrest to post-release follow-up must be
implemented to end the cycle of drug abuse and crime."

Federal estimates, using 1995 data, place the overall federal, state and
local costs of drug and alcohol use at $277 billion annually, including law
enforcement and social programs.

The new study, which does not include federal funds, relied on data from
the states about their spending on prevention programs, research and health
care costs directly related to substance abuse. For indirect costs,
researchers estimated the burden on state resources.

For example, to estimate substance abuse costs in elementary and high
school education, researchers considered the expenses caused by all
abusers. Mothers who drink while pregnant and have children with fetal
alcohol syndrome influence the costs of special education when those kids
go to school. Student drug use affects the need for drug testing and health
care, and drug-related violence might require more spending on security and
repairs. Teachers who abuse substances can cost the state in productivity
and health insurance.

Adding Up

Per capita by states on substance abuse:

Alabama, $277

Alaska, $532

Arizona, $205

Arkansas, $206

California, $340

Colorado, $217

Connecticut, $267

Delaware, $500

District of Columbia, $812

Florida, $215

Georgia, $210

Hawaii, $368

Idaho, $196

Illinois, $239

Iowa, $257

Kansas, $223

Kentucky, $245

Louisiana, $243

Maryland, $253

Massachusetts, $442

Michigan, $282

Minnesota, $433

Mississippi, $178

Missouri, $254

Montana, $291

Nebraska, $176

Nevada, $282

New Jersey, $252

New Mexico, $271

New York, $478

North Dakota, $155

Ohio, $263

Oklahoma, $213

Oregon, $278

Pennsylvania, $292

Puerto Rico, $235

Rhode Island, $303

South Carolina, $158

South Dakota, $176

Tennessee, $173

Utah, $242

Vermont, $229

Virginia, $267

Washington, $269

West Virginia, $187

Wisconsin, $273

Wyoming, $240

State Average, $299

Note: Indiana, Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Texas did not
provide complete information for the study and are not included in this
list. An estimate of their substance abuse spending is $13.7 billion, which
added to the figures from the 47 listed jurisdictions totals $81.3 billion.

Source: National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia
University.