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The Effects of Drug Abuse in the United States

Drug abuse has a devastating effect on people and families on a personal level, but the problem, on a societal scale, is considered by the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy to be one of the most serious public health issues. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, approximately 40 million serious injuries or illnesses are attributed to drug use annually in the United States, and the problem affects virtually every community and family in the country, either directly or indirectly.

  1. Economic Effects

    • The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that substance abuse costs the United States about $484 billion a year, making it easily the most costly public health problem in the nation. This estimate, presented by the Office for National Drug Control Policy and the NIDA, takes into account lost earnings, costs associated with accidents and crimes attributed to addicts and drug traffickers as well as the $85.5 million spent to support the Drug Free Communities Program and the War on Drugs.

    Crime Rate Effects

    • In 2009, the FBI reported 1,663,582 arrests on drug-law violations in the United States, according to the Drug War Facts website. Drug abuse is also a contributing factor to many other crimes, however, some of which include driving under the influence of alcohol, property damage, theft, homicide and assault. The FBI's arrest records show that at least 50 percent of people arrested for violent crimes are under the influence of drugs. The total number of arrests for these crimes in 2009 was 13,687,241. While still high, this number is down from 2008's total of 14,005,615 arrests. Meanwhile, Mexican authorities linked 9,614 homicides in that country to organized crime related to drug trafficking. That number jumped to 15,273 in 2010.

    Societal Effects

    • The NIDA estimates that 31 percent of homeless people in the United States suffer from drug abuse and addiction and 60 percent of the prison population is incarcerated on drug-related charges. According to the NAACP of California, African Americans and Hispanics are more likely to serve time on drug charges than white Americans. This means that in states that suspend voting rights to felons, 13 percent of African-American men have lost the right to vote: a number seven times the national average. As of 2011, only Kentucky and Virginia permanently revoke voting rights because of felony charges, but at the current rate of incarceration, 40 percent of African-American men in these states could permanently lose their right to vote. Not all of these men will lose this right because of drug charges, but the prevalence and role of illicit drugs in other violent crimes cannot be overlooked.

    Future Effects

    • The NIDA estimates that as many as 45,000 babies are born addicted to cocaine every year, and these babies are 1.5 times more likely than healthy babies to require special education services when they start school, at an estimated cost of $23 million annually. As the divorce rate climbs, it is estimated that drug abuse rates will also climb as adolescents with weak family ties are four times more likely to experiment with drugs.

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