The Socioeconomics of Heroin Dependency

Abstract

The present production and sale of heroin is an enterprise with gross profits that rivals many industries. Ten kilograms of opium grown in Asia and sold at $25 per kilogram will produce 1 kg of uncut heroin worth $20,000 in the United States. The ultimate aggregate worth of the same kilogram of heroin may be as much as $400,000. The cost of heroin dependency to the general population has been estimated at over three billion dollars annually. The toll to the individual user is also prohibitive, with heroin being the leading cause of mortality in New York City of men in their 20's. Factors to be considered in the economic aspects of this problem include restriction of opium cultivation, prevention of heroin production and importation, elimination of the illegality associated with heroin use, and altering the demand for heroin.