The social cost of legal and illegal drugs in Belgium

Description

Alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs and psychoactive medication misuseare associated with a higher likelihood of developing several diseases,traffic injuries and crimes. These substances reduce quality of life andincrease the health care and law enforcement costs, productivity losses,etc. Consequently, the social and economic impact of substances onsociety is substantial.The SOCOST study estimates for the first time social costs for alcohol,tobacco, illegal drugs and psychoactive medication in Belgium for theyear 2012. This cost-of-illness study presents the direct costs, the indirectcost as well as the intangible costs related to substance misuse.This research was commissioned by the Belgian Federal Science PolicyOffice BELSPO in the framework of the Federal Research ProgrammeDrugs. Two universities cooperated Ghent University, Institute forInternational Research on Criminal Policy IRCP and the Vrije UniversiteitBrussel, Interuniversity Centre for Health Economics Research I-CHER.The research was conducted under supervision of prof. dr. Freya VanderLaenen, prof. dr. Koen Putman, prof. dr. Lieven Pauwels, prof. dr. WimHardyns and prof. dr. Lieven Annemans.