DRUG ABUSE COSTS US $246 BILLION A YEAR, STUDY SAYS

Abuse of Alcohol and other drugs costs the United States more than $246
billion a year, a government study published Wednesday found.

That worked out to $965 for every man, woman and child in the country, the
National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol
Abuse and Alcoholism said.

"This study confirms the enormous damage done to society by alcohol and
(other) drug-related problems," NIAAA director Dr. Enoch Gordis said in a
statement.

The $246 billion figure came from 1992, the latest year for which data were
available, the agencies said. The study estimated costs for 1995 were $276
billion.

Some of the costs of alcohol abuse included lost productivity because of
illness or early death, health-care costs, property damage and crime. For
drugs, more than half the costs stemmed from related crime.

The 1992 figures were 42 percent higher for alcohol and 50 percent higher
for drugs over 1985, the previous year for which figures were available,
even accounting for inflation and population growth.

"The magnitude of these costs underscores the need to find better ways to
prevent and treat thses disorders," Gordis said.

Checked-by: jwjohnson@netmagic.net (Joel W. Johnson)