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Video: RAND Congressional Briefing Series

The Economic Cost of Methamphetamine Use in the United States

In Cooperation with the Congressional Caucus to Fight and Control Methamphetamine

Presenter

Curbing methamphetamine (meth) use is an issue that Congress has been working hard to address. Meth has become a major drug of abuse in many states, as indicated by law enforcement priorities, substance abuse–related emergency room visits, and treatment admissions. Recent congressional action includes (1) adding provisions to curb meth use, trafficking, and production to the PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 and (2) passing the Methamphetamine Remediation Research Act of 2007, which addresses how the illicit use and manufacturing of meth endangers children.

To further assess the scope of the meth problem in the United States, RAND conducted the first comprehensive national assessment of the annual economic burden posed by meth use. Study findings and recommendations include the following:

• The economic cost of methamphetamine use in the United States reached $23.4 billion in 2005.
• Most of the expenses result from death of meth users and from crime and criminal justice costs.
• Many costs of meth use are intangible and cannot yet be adequately measured.
• More work is needed to identify areas in which intervention to reduce meth use could prove the most cost-effective.

RAND Office of Congressional Relations

For more than 60 years, RAND has provided policymakers with independent, objective research and analysis on key national security, domestic, and international issues. RAND work helps members of Congress and their staffs make better-informed decisions on the nation's pressing challenges. The Office of Congressional Relations offers a number of products and services to educate, inform, and facilitate congressional policymakers' access to RAND work, including coordinating congressional testimony by RAND experts, organizing briefings and meetings, synthesizing RAND work into topical e-newsletters and providing reports and publications to congressional offices. For more information, visit the Office of Congressional Relations Web page, contact ocr@rand.org, or call (703) 413-1100 x5395.