Other direct costs related to substance use amounted to $3.3 billion in 2020.
This accounted for 6.7% of the total overall cost of $49.1 billion. This was equivalent to $87 per person in Canada.
Other direct costs include:
- Research and prevention,
- Fire damage,
- Damage to motor vehicles from impaired driving,
- Social assistance for disability related to substance use and
- Workplace costs not already covered in lost productivity, such as employee assistance programs, drug testing programs
and administrative costs associated with workers’ compensation.
Information from this broad category may be used by various audiences to gain a complete picture of substance use
attributable costs and harms, guide resource allocation and develop policies to reduce different harms of substance use,
from impaired driving to substance use in the workplace.
Other Direct Costs by the Numbers
Emerging Trends in Other Direct Costs Related to Substance Use