Government spending costs in regards to substance abuse and addiction reached $467.7 billion in 2005, according to a study released last month. The report, released by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA), was based on three years of research, and is the first ever study to assess the costs of alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco, prescription drug abuse, addiction and its consequences when it comes to all levels of governmental expenditures.

The study also found that 96 percent of the federal and state government spending was used on alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco, prescription drug abuse, addiction and its consequences, in contrast to only two percent that went toward prevention and treatment. So for every dollar that is spent on prevention and treatment, $50 go towards programs addressing the effects. Of the money, governments spend the most on health care costs associated with substance abuse (58 percent) followed by the costs due to crime and homelessness (13 percent).

These 2005 figures, the most recent year for which data was available over the course of the study, reveal a stark reality and ever-present stigma when it comes to substance abuse. Amid a range of suggestions on how to address these spending patterns is the suggestion that governments balance the cost allotments more evenly taking into account that addiction is a disease, that it is preventable and treatable, but that the treatments needs to be widely available for them to be effective.