According to a published article in the Christian Examiner Online, drug and alcohol abuse is costing taxpayers billions of dollars each year. One study found that substance abuse and addiction cost federal, state and local governments at least $468 BILLION back in 2005, accounting for more than one-tenth of combined government expenditures for all purposes.
So, what are the drugs in question? According to the article, the most common substances that were being abused included:
- Marijuana
- Cocaine
- Opiates and Methamphetamines
And the culprits of all this drug abuse? That’s right; you guessed it. People who are arrested are testing significantly higher than the rest of the population when it comes to drug abuse. But perhaps we should take this information with a grain of salt. After all, we all know that you can still abuse drugs and alcohol and be lucky enough NOT to get caught…right? The article goes on to quote Gil Kerlikowske, director of National Drug Control Policy as saying the following regarding drugs and financial liability, etc:
Not only does this new report reaffirm the strong link between drug use and crime, but it also tells us that we must concentrate our resources on programs that have been proven to break the cycle of drugs and crime…Incarcerating offenders without treating underlying substance abuse problems simply defers the time when they are released back into our communities to start harming themselves and our communities again..
For more information about drug and alcohol recovery, or to learn more about our 30 day drug and alcohol rehab program, contact Mark Houston Recovery today!