NCJ Number
156592
Journal
Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs Volume: 32 Issue: 14 Dated: (Winter 1990) Pages: 137-159
Date Published
1990
Length
23 pages
Annotation
Florida's economic costs and benefits from cocaine trafficking between Colombia and Florida are analyzed.
Abstract
The analysis focused on criminal justice costs, the damages due to criminal activities, the medical and rehabilitative costs, lost employee production, the financial flows involved in the narcotraffic, and measurement methods. Results revealed that the cocaine traffic has a strong negative economic impact on Florida. Although the benefits of investments and consumption by cocaine traffickers may be as much as $3 billion per year in the late 1980's, the costs of law enforcement, health services, and lost productivity are significantly greater. In 1988, the costs in Florida have been estimated to be on the order of $4.5 billion. Thus, cocaine traffic accounts to about 2 percent of income produced in the State during 1988. The psychological, social, and legal problems created by drug abuse may be far more important than the economic impacts. Tables, figure, notes, and 16 references