This is an article in yesterday's Mail, called £833,000, the real cost of a drug addict. Just some points I'd like to make about the "How the money breaks down" box.
"Mortality: £262,049. Early death means years of lost earnings, productivity, spending and tax revenue."
But on the plus side, you don't have to pay them a state pension. Not to mention old people tend to use the NHS more than younger people, so that has to be taken into account as well.
"Lost earnings while alive: £209,786. Most are on very low wages or benefits."
I made the point in the last article I did on drugs that if you lock people up for using drugs, they may end up stuck on benefits.
"Criminal Justice: £213,200. Cost of arrests, court hearings, prison and probation."
Legalise it and you wouldn't have this problem.
"Social impact: £61,353. Around 31,000 children of drug addicts are in care."
I think it is a bit hypocritical for the Mail to argue this, in a sense. The Mail tends to be very anti-abortion(not unless it's a homosexual fetus) and is also pro-family values, anti-gay adoption. This, any way you want to slice it, is going to lead to more kids in the system, being cared for by the state. So to use this argument is a bit disingenuous.
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