The Treatment Research Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, the National Rural Alcohol and Drug Abuse Network (NRADAN) and the Alcohol and Drug Problems Association of North America (ADPA) have joined together to publish a document entitled, "The Economic Benefits of Drug Treatment: A Critical Review of the Evidence for Policy Makers." The document referred to as the "Green Book," as the cover is bright green, has been sent to every state legislator, every United States Senator and Representative and to alcohol and drug treatment providers in 40 states across the country.

The 62 page document, an abridged version of what can be downloaded at three web sites (www.uwstout.edu/solutions/ces/ruralaoda, www.adpana.com and www.tresearch.org) reviews hundreds of studies relating to the cost effectiveness of treatment services for people with alcohol and other drug abuse problems. The Executive Summary includes the following conclusions:

• Nearly two decades of treatment research finds that substance abuse treatment, especially when it incorporates evidence-based practice, results in clinically significant reduction in alcohol and drug sue and crime, and improvement in health and social function, for many clients.

• Economic studies across setting, populations, methods, and time periods consistently find positive net economic benefits of alcohol and other drug treatment that are relatively robust. The primary economic benefits occur from reduced crime and post-treatment reduction in health care costs.

• In general, outpatient programs achieve reductions in substance use at a lower cost than residential programs, although the latter services may be more effective for higher risk populations.

• Residential prison treatment is cost effective but only in conjunction with post-release aftercare services. In addition, cost effectiveness is greater for high-risk inmates who received prison treatment plus aftercare, compared with low-risk inmates.

The "Green Book" is dedicated to the memory of Larry W. Monson, state alcohol and drug abuse director in Wisconsin for 16 years and was funded primarily by the Scaife Family Foundation and the Missouri Foundation for Health. Dr. Steven Belenko, Dr. Nicholas Patapis, Dr. Michael French with oversight from Dr. A. Thomas McLellan, researched the document which took approximately six months to develop. Fifteen thousand booklets were printed.

For more information, contact Jeffrey N. Kushner, Drug Court Administrator, St. Louis, MO, at 314-589-6702.