News Report | April 8, 2018
Economic Cost Of U.S. Opioid Epidemic Exceeds $1 Trillion Over 16 Years
Since 2001, the economic cost of the U.S. opioid epidemic has exceeded $1 trillion, rising from an annual cost of $29.1 billion in 2001 to an annual cost of $95.8 billion in 2016. By 2020, annual costs are projected to reach $199.9 billion. The annual cost increases between 2017 and 2020 is projected to total $500 billion. The costs of the opioid crisis include lost individual wages; lost private sector productivity and health care costs; lost federal, state, and local government tax revenue; and additional spending on health care, social services, education, and criminal justice.
These . . .