Cost Effectiveness of Treatment vs. Law Enforcement in Reducing Substance Use

Cost Effectiveness of Substance Use Treatment

The RAND Corporation found that the additional spending needed to achieve a 1% reduction in the number of cocaine users varies according to the sort of program used, and that treatment is the most cost-effective:

Table comparing cost effectiveness of spending on treatment versus law enforcement for reducing substance use

Source

Rydell, C.P. & Everingham, S.S., Controlling Cocaine, Prepared for the Office of National Drug Control Policy and the United States Army (Santa Monica, CA: Drug Policy Research Center, RAND Corporation, 1994), p. 36.
http://www.rand.org/pubs/mono…