Estimated Cost of America's Meth Habit

The economic cost of methamphetamine use in the United States was about $23.4 billion in 2005, according to a study released today by the RAND Corp., which said the study was the first effort to assess the costs of the drug’s effects. “Our findings show that the economic burden of methamphetamine abuse is substantial,” said RAND economist Nancy Nicosia, lead author of the study. The study, commissioned by the nonprofit group Meth Project Foundation and the National Institute o