Last month, the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs reported that substance abuse treatment programs help reduce crime and lower health-care costs, saving taxpayers millions of dollars.
Treatment providers around the country have known this for years. Substance abuse is tied to violence, accidents, lost productivity, increased spousal/child abuse and the spread of the HIV virus. That’s the bad news. The good news is that substance abuse is both preventable and treatable. Treatment and prevention work. They save lives and money.
Treatment costs $2,234 per person in 1994 versus one year of incarceration at a cost of $39,600. One year of untreated addiction costs society an estimated $43,200. It’s time our lawmakers took this to heart; neither the crime bill nor the health care reform act will be effective without addressing substance abuse.
September is National Alcohol and Drug Treatment month. The theme-Treatment Works! How can thousands of people know this to be true, while lawmakers we vote into office, those who can really do something about it, refuse?
