Connecticut Law Revision Commission
Drug Policy Study
On January 21, 1997, the Connecticut Law Revision Commission
released a report on drug policy to the Judiciary Committee of the Connecticut
General Assembly. The report was the culmination of over a year of study
and analysis of Connecticut's existing policy and of alternative models
that might be adopted to reduce the harmful effects resulting from drug
abuse.
Substance abuse is a major -- if not the number one --
health problem in this country. More deaths, illnesses, and disabilities
result from substance abuse than from any other preventable health condition.
Costs related to substance abuse are a major contributor to the country's
total health care bill. The total economic cost to the U.S. economy
-- including increased health care costs, poor health, absenteeism,
and reduced productivity in the workplace, and drug- related crime and
violence -- is enormous. In 1994 Connecticut alone spent $2.96 billion
on substance abuse costs.
And now injecting drug users are spreading AIDS and other
infectious diseases. We urgently need to bring all drug abusers within
the health care system. We must find effective ways of dealing with
the underlying problem of drug abuse. Current policies, which have only
limited effectiveness and high costs, must be reexamined. New approaches
must be developed.
The Law Revision Commission has drawn the following conclusions: