“The opioid crisis that continues to ravage the United States affects every state in the country and has left almost no community untouched.
While the United States is far from the only country dealing with the consequences of opioid abuse, the American experience stands out compared to other advanced economies due to the significantly higher economic and human cost.
This has prompted the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to highlight the issue in its latest “Economic Survey of United States,” presented last week in Washington, D.C.
Findings include:
- Lost wages and productivity resulting from death, incarceration and decreased productivity. Estimates suggest that this could amount to around $40 billion annually.
- Lost productivity also has effects on tax revenue. Estimates suggest the combined impact reduced federal, state and local tax revenue by almost $16 billion in 2016.”
Read more at: http://thehill.com/opinion/finance/392294-the-severe-economic-costs-of-the-us-opioid-crisis
Source: TheHill.com – June 14, 2018
