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When someone manufactures or
uses Meth, everyone pays.
Your Identity at Risk
The connection between ID theft and Meth users is growing. Is your
financial future at stake?
Complete story and links
UPDATE
According to a new study produced by the University of Arkansas/Sam M.
Walton College of Business, employers are losing thousands of dollars a
year due to Meth use by employees. In the final report of The Economic
Impact of Methamphetamine Use in Benton County, Arkansas, commissioned
by the Benton County Methamphetamine Task Force, researchers extrapolated
that each Meth user costs an employer an average of $47,500 annually. In
Benton County alone, Meth use by employees was estimated to cost just over
$21 million annually.
In the Benton County
survey, 4.3% of respondents admitted to using Meth at some time in their
lives; 0.5% to using within the last year; 1.4% to using Meth at work and
0.9% took unplanned sick or personal days as a direct result of their Meth
use.
The study examined
the six major categories of cost Meth users impose on employers: Increased
absenteeism, lost productivity, increased turnover, increased employee
theft, increased worker compensation claims and increased healthcare
premium costs.
Many workers use
methamphetamine to stay awake for second jobs or to sharpen concentration.
But use of the drug ultimately costs both workers and employers big.
Positive drug tests
for amphetamines in the workplace jumped 6 percent last year and 44
percent in 2003, even as use of other drugs appeared to decline. "Drug
abuse in the workplace is decreasing, but ironically, methamphetamine
positives are increasing," said Mark de Bernardo, executive director of
the Institute for a Drug-Free Workplace in Washington.
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
Meth 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 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
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.
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