This article discusses the hidden costs of the opioid crisis and the implications for financial management in the public sector.
The November 2017 release of the Council of Economic Advisers' White House report on the opioid crisis suggests that prior consideration of expenses severely underestimated the economic costs of the opioid crisis. When corrected for these losses, the annual cost from the opioid crisis leapt nearly 600%. The cost to the criminal justice system was estimated at $8 Billion of which $270 million is borne by crime laboratories. However, laboratory budgets have not grown at a rate capable of meeting this increased demand for forensic science services. The hidden costs of the opioid crisis borne by the forensic crime laboratories comes as funds are diverted in the laboratory to meet the increased demands for services in drug chemistry and toxicology. Dramatic increases in turnaround times across other areas of investigation continue to grow as the crisis accelerates. 8 figures (publisher abstract modified)
Similar Publications
- Further Development of Raman Spectroscopy for Body Fluid Investigation: Forensic Identification, Limit of Detection, and Donor Characterization
- Computational methods for the interpretation of forensic DNA samples
- Detection of Synthetic Cathinones in Seized Drugs Using Surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS)