Estimation of the social cost of illegal drug use in Catalonia

Summary

Globally, as well as in Spain, illicit drug use is a major contributor to the global burden of disease. Quantifying the costs that illegal drugs impose on society is key to decision-making. The objective of this work is to estimate the social cost of illegal drug consumption in Catalonia for a specific year and establish a methodology to be able to replicate these estimates regularly and monitor the impact of national plans. A study of the cost of the disease has been carried out. For the estimation of mortality and morbidity costs, the attributable fraction approach has been used. Only public sector, health and non-health costs were included. The cost of illegal drug consumption in Catalonia in 2011 was estimated at €326.39 million (0.16% of Catalan GDP in 2011; 0.15% in 2018). 82% of the total cost corresponded to direct costs; Of these, 30.32% corresponded to the penal system, 15.99% to hospitalizations, 13.48% to the police, 17.19% to pharmacy, 8.34% to treatment in specialized centers and 5.74% to therapeutic communities, among others. Indirect costs accounted for 18% of total costs, mainly productivity losses due to drug-related deaths. This study has been an opportunity to systematically collect data and think about the potential economic returns that could be obtained from effective policies and programmes aimed at reducing illicit drug use.