COLLINS: Fighting drug abuse in the United States is quite an expensive undertaking, even more than you might think. CNN's Brooke Baldwin takes a look at where your tax dollars are really going.</s>BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the war on drugs wages on, American taxpayers are paying for it in ways you might not realize. That's according to a report released by the National Center On Addiction And Substance Abuse, a group at Columbia University.</s>SUSAN FOSTER, CENTER ON ADDICTION AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE: This is a spectacular waste of taxpayer dollars. And it's time to shift these -- the burden and to shift the spending patterns.</s>BALDWIN: Of the $3.3 trillion the federal and state governments spent in 2005, $374 billion went to tobacco, alcohol and illegal and prescription drug abuse, including its consequences. For every dollar spent by state and federal governments, CASA says 96 cents paid for the burden of abuse, including law enforcement, child welfare and health care for cancer, cirrhosis or overdose. Only 2 cents covers the cost for prevention and treatment, like screenings or intervention.</s>FOSTER: Rather than investing in effective prevention programs that can spot this problem early, we are waiting. We're ignoring the problem. We are looking the other way. We're waiting until these problems show up in our juvenile justice systems.</s>BALDWIN: On the same day CASA released its report, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy released one of its own. Its research reaffirms the connection between drugs and crime and emphasizes the need to expand drug treatment programs, particularly for non-violent offenders, more effective alternatives to prison. In a statement on the group's Web site, the director said, "Research shows that recidivism rates go down substantially among those who undergo treatment and recovery support services in the criminal justice system." (on camera): CASA says there is still a stigma attached to the disease of addiction and that public policy and public attitudes have not accepted it. And that is reflected in the spending, and CASA says that needs to change. Brooke Baldwin, CNN, New York.
Study Indicates Skewed Spending on Drug Fight