Can We Model the Impact of Increased Drug Treatment Expenditure on the U.K. Drug Market?

Abstract

This chapter introduces a simulation model to estimate the social costs of problem drug misusers in England and Wales, and how policies to increase the number of drug users in treatment may impact on both social costs and government expenditure. Consequences are divided into five domains – health, crime, social care, work, and driving. Social costs are estimated to be between £12 and £12.3 billion, and the total cost of government expenditure is around £3.5 billion. Increases in the numbers in treatment, are estimated to reduce social costs across a 5-year period by between £3.0 and £4.4 billion.

Citation

Godfrey, C., Parrott, S., Eaton, G., Culyer, A. and McDougall, C. (2005), "Can We Model the Impact of Increased Drug Treatment Expenditure on the U.K. Drug Market?", Lindgren, B. and Grossman, M. (Ed.) Substance Use: Individual Behaviour, Social Interactions, Markets and Politics (Advances in Health Economics and Health Services Research, Vol. 16), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 257-275. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0731-2199(05)16012-9