An Ounce of Prevention, a Pound of Uncertainty : The Cost-Effectiveness of School-Based Drug Prevention Programs / Jonathan P. Caulkins, C. Peter Rydell and Susan S. Everingham.

This book describes an analysis of the cost-effectiveness of model school-based drug prevention programs at reducing cocaine consumption. It compares prevention's cost-effectiveness with that of several enforcement programs and with that of treating heavy cocaine users. It also assesses the cost of nationwide implementation of model prevention programs and the implementation's likely effect on the nation's cocaine consumption. There is considerable uncertainty surrounding the magnitude of the effects of school-based drug prevention programs. However, a few things are clear. Nationwide implementation of a model program today is affordable, but it would not dramatically affect the course of drug use and the benefits would take years to accrue. Alternatively, the range of cost-effectiveness estimates derived for this book for prevention is comparable to that previously derived for different enforcement interventions. Furthermore, implementing model prevention programs seems to be justifiable in the sense that the benefits produced would likely outweigh the costs of the resources used. Includes tables and figures depicting results of the analysis. Ten appendixes address the implications and effects of cocaine, marijuana, alcohol, and cigarette use. (Contains 82 references.) (Author/MKA)

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