SMOKES, ALCOHOL 'MOST DAMAGING DRUGS'

Tobacco and alcohol account for 83 per cent of the cost of drug abuse in
Australia, dwarfing the financial impact of illegal drugs.

A Commonwealth Government report estimates that in 1998-99 tobacco
accounted for $21 billion, or 60 per cent, of the adverse costs of drugs to
individuals, business and government, and alcohol made up $7.5 billion, or
22 per cent.

But the illicit drug toll is fast catching up with alcohol, accounting for
$6 billion, or 17 per cent of total costs, according to the report,
Counting the Cost, produced for the Federal Government's National Drug
Strategy.

One of the report's authors, adjunct professor in economics at Macquarie
University, David Collins, said the report had measured, for the first
time, the cost of passive smoking to the community.

"A lot of the impact of . . . involuntary smoking is on the unborn child
and on children under 14 years. It hits the young very hard because they
have no control over their lives," he said.

Measuring hospital bed days, other health care costs and deaths in 1998-99,
the report found involuntary smoking cost the community $47 million.

"Tobacco is still the greatest killer by far and imposes the greatest
costs," Professor Collins said. The cost of fires resulting from smoking
was put at $81 million.

"The message from this report is that the costs (of drug use) are so high
the potential benefit of a small reduction is substantial," Professor
Collins said.

"Anti-tobacco programs yield very high rates of return, and the same is
true for illicit drugs."

The problem of alcohol use was more complex because it had beneficial as
well as damaging effects on drinkers.

"If you reduce alcohol consumption you may reduce the benefits," Professor
Collins said. "That said, people should not be encouraged to binge drink.
It is moderate, low-level consumption that provides the benefit."

The report estimates that in 1998-99 alcohol caused 4286 deaths, but
prevented 7029.

The costs of drug use include both the tangible - crime, policing, cancer,
hospital bed days, car accidents, death, fires, loss of productivity, less
tax revenue - and the intangible, such as pain and suffering due to illness
and death.

Based on surveys and interviews with people in police custody and prisons
done by the Australian Institute of Criminology, the report estimates that
the cost of drug crime totals $4.6 billion.

Illicit drugs make up $2.9 billion and alcohol contributes $1.7 billion.