NCJ Number
235302
Date Published
1993
Length
54 pages
Annotation
This report presents information on the amount of money spent on illegal drugs by Americans for the period 1988-1991.
Abstract
Highlights from this report include: in 1991, Americans spent almost $49 billion on illegal drugs - $30 billion on cocaine, $9 billion on heroin, $8 billion on marijuana, and $2 billion on other illegal drugs and legal drugs used illicitly; expenditures for cocaine remained stable between 1988 and 1991, while expenditures for other illegal drugs and legal drugs used illicitly dropped during the same period; between 1988 and 1991 consumption of marijuana dropped considerably; the estimate for cocaine available for consumption in 1991 was between 274 and 442 metric tons, a 1-percent decrease from 1988; and the street value of the cocaine available for consumption was estimated to be between $42 and $68 billion. This report, produced for the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), examined the amount of money spent by Americans on the consumption of illegal drugs and legal drugs used illicitly for the period 1988-1991. Data for the report were examined from two different approaches: supply and consumption. The report is divided into three sections: 1) estimates derived using the consumption approach which estimates the number of drug users, how much they spend on drugs, and the amount of drugs they consume; 2) estimates for cocaine derived from a supply approach which estimates the volume of drugs available for consumption; and 3) a summary and reconciliation of the differences between the two approaches. Tables and figures