Illicit Drug Spending Fell in ‘95, Office Says

Americans spent $57.3 billion on illegal drugs in 1995, a catastrophic amount but down from previous years, according to a report from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. The report said estimated spending on cocaine, heroin, marijuana and other illicit drugs compared with $57.5 billion in 1994. It continued a downward trend from 1988, the first year of the study, when drug sales were estimated at $91.4 billion. “These billions wasted represent countless opportunities lost,” Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey, director of the office, said in a statement. He noted that the amount spent on drugs could have bought four-year college educations for 1 million people. The social costs of drugs also are compounded by their association with increased crime, major health problems, such as hepatitis and AIDS, and disruptions in family and personal lives, he said.