NCJ Number
199883
Date Published
December 2002
Length
82 pages
Annotation
This report on the economic costs of alcohol and drug abuse in Texas for the year 2000 focuses on costs related to treatment and prevention, medical care, morbidity (lost productivity), mortality (premature death), specific disease groups, and "other related costs."
Abstract
The report first describes the methodology for obtaining the data presented in the report. This is followed by a presentation of data under various categories of costs related to alcohol and drug abuse in the State in 2000. The total economic cost of alcohol and drug abuse in Texas is reported to have been approximately $15.9 billion in 2000. Of the total costs, alcohol abuse accounted for 63 percent of the costs, and drug abuse accounted for the remaining 37 percent. Morbidity costs (the value of reduction in productivity of alcohol and drug abusers) accounted for the largest amount of $11.2 billion, followed by "other related costs" ($7.8 billion). The latter category encompasses crime-related and criminal justice-related costs, vehicle crashes, social welfare administration, and fire destruction. Premature death due to alcohol or drug abuse had a cost of $4.8 billion. Medical care related to alcohol and drug abuse cost $791 million, and costs for specialty treatment services were approximately $679 million. Such treatment services pertained to fetal alcohol syndrome, drug-exposed infants, diseases related to intravenous drug use, and drug-related tuberculosis. 51 references and appended supplemental tables