What Are the Yearly Costs of Drug Addiction to Businesses in the United States?
Since 1999 it is estimated that substance use, for both drugs and alcohol, has cost businesses in the United States $510.8 billion (4). This amount breaks down to approximately $21.3 billion each year that American businesses lose as a result of drug and alcohol use. Drug use affects the workforce in many ways that most Americans are unaware of. Missed days of work, reduced productivity, and workplace injury are just a few of the far reaching consequences that substance use has on the United States Economy. Statistics show that full‐time workers who were current drug users also were about twice as likely as non‐users to skip one or more days of work in the past month. Similarly, full‐time workers who were current drug users were more likely to report missing two or more workdays in the past month due to illness or injury, when compared with workers who were not current users.
New Jersey’s Yearly Economic Consequences of Addiction and Co-Occurring Diseases
Though the emotional consequences of drug use are often unable to be quantified, what is able to be quantified is the economic impact that substance use has had on the state of New Jersey. It is estimated that annually New Jersey spends approximately $1 billion (5) on substance use and its related consequences. Over half is from police, one-fifth is from incarceration, and one-fifth is from death or injury related expenses. This means that each of New Jersey’s 9.3 million residents spends approximately $107 each year on substance use related effects.
Factors Affecting New Jersey’s Drug Usage Rates
Similar to many other states, New Jersey is no different when it comes to the reasons for such high rates of opioid use and its relation to the prescription of opioids. With the over prescription of opioids, many were not made aware of the potential addictive nature of these substances. As prescriptions ran out, finances ran low, or tolerances grew, many who were prescribed these legal opioids began searching for something stronger or more cost efficient. The substance that at one time filled this void was heroin. In recent years, however, heroin has waned in popularity being replaced by fentanyl. In New Jersey during the year 2022, over 3 million prescriptions (3) were written for opioids. With this many opioids being made available to New Jersey residents, it is no surprise why many find themselves struggling with their addictive power.
