It is estimated that the international illicit
drug trade generate $ 400
billion a year or 8% of all world trade.
The World Health Organization states that if
current trends continue,
250 million children that are alive today,
will be killed by
tobacco.
70% of all illegal drug users are employed,
and one in twelve
full-time employees reports current use of
illegal drugs.
Studies show billions of dollars in lost productivity
annually due
to substance abuse.
Recent government statistics show that alcohol,
tobacco and illicit
drugs accounted for over 21% of deaths and
10% of hospital
days in the U.S.A..
One in three students between eight and seventeen
years-old has
used drugs; alcohol remains the top drug problem
in schools.
A recent survey revealed that there were over
400 drug dealers in
141 schools surveyed, or three dealers in
every school!
It is estimated by professionals in the field
that about 10% of North
American have some form of alcohol abuse problem.
Over 20,000 road deaths are attributed to alcohol
every year in
North America.
In 1993, illicit drug overdoses killed more
women aged 30 to
44 than breast cancer did; women represent
about 25% of
admissions to alcoholism treatment programs.
The average lifetime medical costs to care
for a child suffering from
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is about $ 1.4 million.
Tobacco is the number one killer, directly
causing the deaths of
over 400,000 Americans each year. It is estimated
by experts that
70 to 90% of all crime is drug and alcohol
related.
In the US alone it costs $67 billion annually
to treat drug-users and
$10 billion each year to treat alcohol abusers.