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Economic burden of drug dependency: Social costs incurred by drug users at intake to the National Treatment Outcome Research Study

Healey, Andrew T., Knapp, Martin R J., Astin, Jack, Gossop, Michael, Marsden, John, Stewart, Chris, Lehmann, P., Godfrey, Christine (1998) Economic burden of drug dependency: Social costs incurred by drug users at intake to the National Treatment Outcome Research Study. British Journal of Psychiatry, 173 (2). pp. 160-165. ISSN 0007-1250. (doi:10.1192/bjp.173.2.160) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:26844)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.173.2.160

Abstract

Background: The use of illegal drugs is seen as & major social problem. The social costs can be high. Methods: Self-report data from interviews at intake to the National Treatment Outcome Research Study (NTORS) for 1075 drug users and cost data from various sources were used to estimate criminal behaviour and health and addiction service costs for & 12-month period. Multivariate statistical analysis was used to analyse cost variations. Results: Total costs for one year for the drug users amounted to over $12 million, the majority attributable to self-reported criminal behaviour. Social costs were positively related to & variety of factors including instability in living circumstances, amount of heroin used and whether or not drugs were taken intravenously. Conclusions: The study clearly demonstrates the economic and social burden associated with heavy drug users and highlights the need for further investigations into the costs and benefits of policies that can reduce these social costs.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1192/bjp.173.2.160
Divisions: Divisions > Division for the Study of Law, Society and Social Justice > School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research > Personal Social Services Research Unit
Depositing User: R. Bass
Date Deposited: 20 May 2011 14:16 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 10:05 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/26844 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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