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“Does America Spend Enough On Addiction Treatment?: Results From Public Opinion Surveys, Michael T. French, Amie L. Nielsen, Jenny F. Homer

Michael T. French

Addiction treatment is often misunderstood and underappreciated in the United States. Although a large body of literature clearly demonstrates the clinical and economic benefits of addiction treatment for many clients and in most settings, the general public has a somewhat ambivalent attitude toward treatment expansion and taxpayer financing. A potential reason for this disconnect between economic evidence and public opinion is a weak identification with the need for, or the success of, addiction treatment for those individuals without a substance abuse problem themselves or in members of their family. Alternatively, addiction treatment stakeholders may be delivering an ineffective or misdirected …