The Economic Cost of Methamphetamine Use in the United States, 2005
Abstract
This monograph presents the first national estimate of the economic cost of methamphetamine (meth) use in the United States. The analysis suggests that the economic cost of meth use in the United States reached $23.4 billion in 2005. Given the uncertainty in estimating the costs of meth use, the study provides a lower-bound estimate of $16.2 billion and an upper-bound estimate of $48.3 billion. The analysis undertaken to generate these estimates considers a wide range of consequences due to meth use, including the burden of addiction, premature death, drug treatment, and aspects of lost productivity, crime and criminal justice, health care, production and environmental hazards, and child endangerment. Other potential harms of meth, however, could not be included due to a lack of scientific evidence or to data issues. Although meth causes some unique harms, many of the primary cost drivers are similar to those identified in economic assessments of other illicit drugs. Among the most costly elements are the intangible burden of addiction and premature death, which account for nearly two-thirds of the economic costs. The intangible burden of addiction measures the lower quality of life experienced by those addicted to the drug. Crime and criminal justice costs also account for a significant share of economic costs. These costs include the burden of processing and incarcerating drug offenders as well as the costs of additional nondrug crimes generated by meth use. Other costs that significantly contribute include lost productivity, the costs of removing a child from his or her parents' home due to meth, and the cost of drug treatment. One unusual cost captured in the analysis is that associated with the production of meth, which requires toxic chemicals that can result in fire, explosions, and other negative events.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA498655
Entities
People
- Beau Kilmer
- James Chiesa
- Nancy Nicosia
- Rosalie L. Pacula
- Russell Lundberg