Drug abuse in Belgium costs the state €4.5 billion a year

Belgium's federal government would stand to gain from a sudden abstinence from alcohol and other drugs on the part of its citizens. More specifically, the state would save more than €4.5 billion if its residents were to stop with the excessive use of alcohol, and the use of psychoactive drugs, illegal drugs and tobacco, according to SOCOST, a study of the social cost of legal and illegal drugs in Belgium. The research was conducted by the University of Ghent and the Free University of Brussels (VUB), and commissioned by the Belgian Federal Science Policy.

The direct costs related to the use of stimulants in Belgium is estimated at a total of €2.85 billion per year, nearly 70% of which goes to health care, including hospitalisation, emergencies and medication. Tackling drug-related crime costs the police and judiciary another €784 million annually, including more than €100 million towards traffic accidents.

Indirect costs account for an additional loss of about €1.76 billion a year, mainly due to lost productivity among employees who are serving time for crimes, or have drug- and/or alcohol-related health problems.

In total, the Belgian state is burdened with more than €4.5 billion a year in direct and indirect costs related to the use of stimulants. That's 1.19% of GDP, or €419 per inhabitant.