Meth Costs to Strangers
The
connection between ID theft and Meth users is growing. Is your financial
future at stake?
Full Story and Link
Meth costs to businesses
$ Inventory
loss and industrial theft
$ Increased
insurance, security and increased workers compensation costs and claims.
$ Lower
productivity of employees
$ Drug
abuse related illnesses
$ Premature
death of worker (addict)
$ Productivity
loss of victims of addict's crimes
$ Shoplifting
- especially of the key ingredients of Meth
$ University
of Arkansas study shows each Meth user costs an employer an average of
$47,500 every year.
FULL REPORT
Meth costs to families
Meth poses
tremendous risks for those living with a user. More and more often, Meth
is a contributing factor in cases of domestic violence, child neglect and
child abuse. For more information on how Meth use and manufacturing
impacts children's lives and welfare, visit our special section on
Drug Endangered Children.
Meth costs to healthcare systems
$ Hospital
and ambulatory care
$ Drug
exposed infants
$ Dental
care
$ HIV/AIDS
$ Hepatitis
B and C
$ Crime
victims' health care
$ Health
care for addicts' children
$ The
National Association of Counties analysis
of Meth’s impact on hospitals and emergency rooms
Meth costs to taxpayers
New Statistics for
Drug Endangered
Children in South Dakota
South Dakota monitors the impact of Meth on children’s lives every year.
Since 2003, the number of youngsters placed in to state custody/foster
care because of a Meth-related cause has continued to rise. (Calendar
years: January to January)
2003 58
2004 110
2005 183
From South Dakota
Child
Protection Services
Between state and
federal funding, the average cost of having a child in foster care is
$21,092. For 2005, the cost of foster care for children from a
Meth-related placement averaged $3,859,836 (183x$21,092).
Other costs to taxpayers:
$ Police,
Fire and EMT Departments' time and training costs
(Cost to attend a two-week long training is $4,000 a person)
$ Cost
of specialized equipment
$ Hazmat
suits - $50 each, discarded after one use
$ Disposable
gloves - $100 per case
$ Fume
detectors - $10,000 each
$ Lawyer
fees - public defender starts at $74 an hour
$ Jail/prison
time and costs ($30,000 per year average with minimal medical expenses.
Generally, inmates who have been regular Meth users cost more due to
higher dental care costs and other health issues.)
Meth costs to the environment
$ Lab
clean up: Averages $5,000 to clean up each lab, but costs can run as high
as $20,000
$ Toxic
wastes dumped down drains, in storm sewers, in dumpsters, on the ground or
along roadsides.
$ Removal
of topsoil in dumpsite clean up.
Meth costs to communities
$ Increased
crime, including stealing to obtain money for Meth, property damage and
loss due to fires, motor vehicle accidents and assaults.
$ Land
lords/home owners responsibility to clean after a lab bust, including
shampooing or replacing carpets, painting or replacing drywall, cleaning
or replacing appliances. For more information on these legally mandated
responsibilities, visit our special section, Information for Realtors.
$ Increased
pressure on schools (providing special education for Meth babies or for
children living in a Meth home/lab).
$ Increased
pressure on Social Services system, including in-home or therapeutic
foster care placement for children taken from Meth homes/labs.
$ The
National Association of Counties analysis of
Meth’s impact on law enforcement and social services
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