Of 90,000 individuals receiving SSI primarily because of substance abuse, fewer than ten percent are in treatment. Not surprisingly, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that thousands of these addicts and alcoholics receive benefits until they die. Illegal drugs have added a vicious strain of intractability to urban poverty. Drugs are the greatest threat to family stability, decent housing, public schools and even minimal social amenities. Widespread drug use derails the emotional, social and intellectual development not only of the children who abuse them, but also of their peers and neighbors who must grapple with the violent consequences of rampant drugs in housing projects and schools.
Cigarette smoking is by far the biggest culprit.
Alcohol accounts for 18 percent and drugs for 16 percent. Substance abuse takes its biggest slice from the veterans' health care program. Nearly 30 percent of the dollars spent on veterans' health is due to substance abuse, more than half of that as a result of alcohol and drug abuse. Welfare payments to illegal drug addicts and alcoholics draw the rhetorical fire of legislators. That means a significant investment in prevention and treatment of all abuse.