Cost of Substance Use on the Economic Productivity of Canadians – Findings at a Glance
Submitted by Rasha Abi Hana
- 13 October 2023
In 2020, the Canadian Substance Use Costs and Harms (CSUCH) data reported that substance use resulted in a loss of $22.4 billion in productivity. This represents 45.6% of the overall cost and harms of substance use, which amounted to $49.1 billion in Canada for that year, as per the latest available data. The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) has recently published a resource titled "Cost of Substance Use on the Economic Productivity of Canadians – Findings at a Glance," which sheds light on the expenses and consequences linked to the decline in productivity. Some key findings include:
- Alcohol and tobacco were responsible for the majority of these costs and harms.
- Individuals who passed away before the age of 65 accounted for nearly 70% of the total costs associated with lost productivity due to substance use.
- Opioid use emerged as the primary cause of reduced years of productive life due to substance use.
