America and Addiction

Throughout the course of this year, it feels like many of the topics we have studied in our American Studies class have been connected to the War on Drugs in some way or another. Whether the link was clear or vague, I thought it was interesting how significant a role this war played in current and past American society. Looking into it more, I wanted to find out what the government's role was, not just in arrests and incarceration (as we looked at in class), but in the more personal aspect of the Drug War: Addiction.

After a little bit of research, I came across a 2005 study that found this startling information: "Of the $373.9 billion spent by federal and state governments [on substance abuse], some 95.6 percent was spent to 'shovel up the consequences and human wreckage of substance abuse and addiction,' while only 1.9 percent was spent on prevention and treatment, 1.4 percent on taxation and regulation, and less than 1 percent on research and interdiction." 

Chart from the 2005 study, "Shoveling Up II: The Impact of
Substance Abuse on Federal, State, and Local Budgets"

This led me to wonder, why is this happening? Why is such a disproportionate amount of money being spent to "shovel up the consequences" of addiction, rather than actually treating the problem? (Especially considering States spend more on substance abuse and addiction than they spend on Medicaid, higher education, transportation or justice)

It turns out that there are many reasons (as would be expected), but probably the most significant is that addiction is lucrative. Much like how the lottery can profit off of gambling addicts, large pharmaceutical companies and doctors that specialize in addiction treatment profit off of substance abusers. And while there are many examples of this occurring, one of the strongest is the prescription and use of a drug called "buprenorphine" (also known as "bupe"). 

I plan to write a more in-depth blog on the controversy surrounding buprenorphine soon, but the gist of it is that buprenorphine is a "substitute opioid used to treat opioid addiction." Although there have been countless success stories showing how buprenorphine (often sold in a compound called Suboxone) was prescribed correctly and cured addictions (to drugs such as heroin), it still easily finds its way into corrupt, power-abusing hands. And once in those hands, we see doctors and research companies making thousands off of addicts (often by hiking up prices) who are only trying to find help. This benefits the government via the economy, which in the end, in why an insignificant amount of funds are allocated for combatting addiction (more addicts = more buprenorphine purchases = more money in more likely-to-be spender's pockets). This is only one reason for the disproportionality, but clearly, it plays a major role. 

As I continue my research, I hope to be able to really pick apart the government's reasoning for its decision-making. By the end and in the very least, I hope to be able to see a viable solution or improvement to an issue that has plagued America for far too long.