Michael T. French, M. Christopher Roebuck, Michael L. Dennis, Susan H. Godley, Howard A. Liddle and Frank M. Tims (2003).  Outpatient marijuana treatment for adolescents: Economic Evaluation of a Multisite Field Experiment.  Evaluation Review, 27 (4), 421-459.

ABSTRACT

An economic evaluation of five outpatient adolescent treatment approaches (12 total site-by-conditions) was conducted. The economic cost of each of the 12 site-specific treatment conditions was determined by the Drug Abuse Treatment Cost Analysis Program (DATCAP). Economic benefits of treatment were estimated by first monetizing a series of treatment outcomes and then analyzing the magnitude of these monetized outcomes from baseline through the 12- month follow-up. The average economic costs ranged from $90 to $313 per week and from $839 to $3,279 per episode. Relative to the quarter before intake, the average quarterly cost to society for the next 12 months (including treatment costs) significantly declined in 4 of the 12 site-bytreatment conditions, remained unchanged in 6 conditions, and increased in 2 treatment conditions (both in the same site). These results suggest that some types of substance-abuse intervention for adolescents can reduce social costs immediately after treatment.

To request copies - e-mail "SASATE at Chestnut" <SASATE@chestnut.org> directly.

[Return to Recent Articles]