• Data & Statistics
• Policy Tools
• Links

Overview
Substance abuse and chemical dependency place an enormous burden on state budgets, economic productivity, and the well-being of individuals and families.

• Over 13 percent of all state spending - including related spending on crime, disease, poverty, and other social problems - can be linked to substance abuse and addiction.
• One out of every five Medicaid dollars spent on hospital care is attributable to the use of alcohol, tobacco, or illicit drugs.
• More than one third of families involved with the child welfare system have alcohol or drug-related problems that contribute to the abuse or neglect of their children.
• Roughly half of state prison inmates committed their crime(s) to support a drug habit.
• Forty percent of all traffic fatalities and 8 percent of all motor vehicle crashes involve alcohol.

Alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use are also associated with high rates of cancer, suicide, divorce, unwanted pregnancy, domestic violence, disability, workplace absences and lost productivity, unemployment, poverty, and homelessness.

Focus of NGA Center Activities:

The NGA Center will:

• analyze and report on the underlying causes of substance abuse and addiction;
• monitor emerging trends affecting state budgets, economic productivity, and quality of life;
• track and share innovative practices states are employing to address the causes and consequences of substance abuse and chemical dependence; and
• provide state-specific technical assistance to help Governors advance their priorities around substance abuse and addiction.

Related Links

Data & Statistics

• Child Abuse & Neglect
  (National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information)
• Highway Fatalities & Injuries
  (U.S. Department of Transportation)
• Impaired Driving
  (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
• Law Enforcement
  (Office of National Drug Control Policy)
• Jails, Prisons, Probation, and Parole
  (Bureau of Justice Statistics)
• Spending (National)
  (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2001)
• Spending (State)
  (National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, 1/2001)
• Spending (for Treatment)
  (National Conference of State Legislatures, 12/2002)
• Treatment Demographics
  (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
• Treatment Effectiveness
  (National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors, 2/2002)
• Use & Prevalence Data
  (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)

Policy Tools

• Alcohol Policy Information System
  (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)
• State-by-State Drug Policy Reforms: 1996-2000
  (Drug Policy Alliance, 9/2003)
• SAMHSA Grant Awards (by State)

Related Articles/Reports

• A Framework for Strengthening State Substance Abuse Prevention Systems
  (Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, 2002) (PDF)
• Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Effectiveness: A Review of State Outcome Studies
  (National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors, 2/2002)
• Critical Choices: Making Drug Policy at the State Level
  (Drug Strategies, 2001) (PDF)
• Identification and Description of Multiple Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Systems
  (National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors, 2/2002) (PDF)
• Linking Child Welfare and Substance Abuse
  (National Conference of State Legislatures, 8/2000)
• Shoveling Up: The Impact of Substance Abuse on State Budgets
  (National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, 01/2001) (PDF)
• State Spending on Substance Abuse Treatment
  (National Conference of State Legislatures, 12/2002)
• Substance Abuse: The Nation's Number One Health Problem
  (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2/2001)