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David Stanley Ford

Oklahoma drug, alcohol spending debated
Report urges prevention effort

BY SONYA COLBERG    Comments Comment on this article6
Published: May 28, 2009

Oklahomans can save millions of dollars and untold heartache if they spend more tax dollars on treatment and prevention of addictions, the founder of a national addiction center said in a new report.

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Substance abuse

In 2005, Oklahoma spent $23.6 million and the federal government spent $238.2 billion on substance abuse, The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse study states.

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The state Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Statistics estimates:


• 5 percent of the population over age 18 (140,000 Oklahomans) need treatment for alcohol addiction.


• 1 percent (about 21,000 people) need treatment for

other types of drug addiction.


• 6 percent of the state’s 323,000 adolescents (about 20,000 teenagers) need treatment for alcohol and drug addiction.


• For every person needing drug treatment, about 7.5 people need alcohol treatment.

For every $100 Oklahoma spent on substance abuse, $2.30 went toward prevention and treatment, according to a three-year study by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.

"In terms of public spending, it is an upside-down cake,” Joseph Califano, founder of the nonprofit center said Wednesday. "It is an inexcusable waste of money when we could avoid all the human wreckage, and all the public spending that’s imposed on taxpayers if we could just move to prevent this disease, to treat this disease.”

The report ranks Oklahoma No. 22 in percentage of substance abuse spending that goes to prevention and treatment.

"For the state of Oklahoma, the middle of the pack isn’t good enough. ... I would like to see us leading the nation,” said Terri White, state secretary of health and mental health as well as substance abuse services commissioner. "This report is a national study confirming what we know in Oklahoma, which is when you invest in the prevention of addiction and the treatment of addiction, the overall costs to the state go down even above what you spend.”

She referred to Oklahoma’s drug court, which costs about $5,000 per offender, compared to the $16,000 to $19,000 for incarcerating those who aren’t treated.

Money for more programs could come from a 1- or 2-cent sales tax on alcohol or from the $95 million Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, said Pat Nichols, an Edmond father whose son battles addiction.

"You stop the demand when it first rears its head, which is normally around age 12 to 14. We get a lot of publicity about the fact that we’re educating the teens, but a lot of times, this very education excites them about (addiction),” he said, adding his comments are his own rather than his addiction resource and support group Parents Helping Parents.

According to the report based on 2005 data, New Hampshire spent 22 cents, while Connecticut spent $10.39 per $100. Oklahoma spends near the national average of $2.38.

Most of the cost to federal, state and local government is for health care issues from untreated addiction, which causes or contributes to more than 70 other diseases, the report states.

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David Stanley Ford


Related Topics: Health and Fitness, Public Finance, Federal Budget, Mental Health, Government Spending, Drug Addiction, Addiction and Recovery


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The government is trying to legislate morality. They need to leave everybody alone who takes drugs or sells drugs. They could keep the laws in place against property crime & crime against a person. This would save the most money. The business of addiction would suffer though; the prisons & counselors might have to find new sources of funding.
Southern Rebel, Oklahoma City - May 28, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Perhpas ODMHSAS could consider reducing their administrative costs...
Kevin, Oklahoma City - May 28, 2009 at 8:03 am
Please understand folks that treatment is cheaper than prison. In addition, if the government would legalize, regulate and tax the heck out of marijuana, the revenue (including cost savings) is somewhere around 20 BILLION dollars and that is a very conservative estimate. This article above is an excellent example of Moral Conservative defeating Financial Conservatism.
Colin, Oklahoma City - May 28, 2009 at 8:03 am
Bill, you are sooo right. Everyone wants to get their hands on the excess taxes placed on both alcohol and especially tobacco. Now they want to add yet another tax (what is this, the fourth, fifth or sixth additional tax this decade?). The point is, tobacco and alcohol are NOT illegal to start with yet these busybodies want to control others choices as if they were paragons of virtue and the propaganda about it all is so over the top, I'm amazed to see so many swallowing the manure as if it were pudding. What hogwash. I'm sick and tired of hypocrites controlling my life.
Phil, Yukon - May 28, 2009 at 7:43 am
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Isn't it odd that they always figure out a way to pay for a program by implementing another tax.
Bill, Paden - May 28, 2009 at 7:14 am
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Yes, I agree more treatment and prevention is needed. So why does the State continue to increase requirements for substance abuse counselors when so many more are needed.
John, Sayre - May 28, 2009 at 4:27 am
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