A cost-benefit analysis of the effectiveness of a specific substance abuse prevention program used in the United States called Keepin’ It REAL. This report will look at existing estimates of the costs of substance abuse, which include both social costs and direct costs to the government, and then use these estimates to evaluate the benefits of prevention. Seeks to answer the question, is the public’s investment in substance abuse prevention programs really worth the returns we are getting back out of them? This will hopefully help to enable policy and program managers to make informed decisions about resource allocations for substance abuse treatment policies, programs, and practices.
