This paper evaluates the relationships among federal anti-drug law enforcement expenditures, education and treatment expenditures, and public health outcomes. The data include four types of spending: criminal justice system, interdiction and international intelligence, education in the community and workplace, and drug treatment. These data were combined with mortality rates for drug abuse, a public health outcome. The empirical findings support the hypothesis that resources allocated to drug prevention and treatment have benefited the public health. Conversely, a 10% reduction in enforcement expenditures is associated with a long-run reduction of approximately 3,000 deaths per year.
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