The Economic Cost of Methamphetamine Use in the United States, 2005

Abstract

This monograph presents a national estimate of the economic cost of methamphetamine (meth) use in the U.S. The analysis, providing a lower-bound estimate of $16.2 billion and an upper-bound estimate of $48.3 billion, considers a broad range of consequences related to met use: the burden of addiction, premature death, drug treatment, lost productivity, crime and criminal justice, health care, production and environmental hazards, and child endangerment. Data are gathered from regional data systems, law enforcement agencies, county hospitals, and U.S. government agency statistics. Many of the primary cost drivers are similar to those found in economic assessments of other illegal drugs, with two thirds of the cost attributable to the burden of addiction and premature death. Crime and criminal justice costs are also a major share of economic costs, including the processing and incarceration of drug offenders. An unusual cost is that associated with producing methamphetamine, which requires toxic chemicals that can result in fire, explosions, and other dangerous incidents.