Citation

Ropero-Miller JD, Speaker PJ. Forensic Sci. Int. Synergy 2019; 1: 227-238.

Affiliation

John Chambers College of Business & Economics, West Virginia University, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.fsisyn.2019.09.003

PMID

32411975

PMCID

PMC7219173

Abstract

The November 2017 release of the Council of Economic Advisers' White House report on the opioid crisis suggests that prior consideration of expenses severely underestimated the economic costs of the opioid crisis. When corrected for these losses, the annual cost from the opioid crisis leapt nearly 600%. The cost to the criminal justice system was estimated at $8 Billion of which $270 million is borne by crime laboratories. However, laboratory budgets have not grown at a rate capable of meeting this increased demand for forensic science services. The hidden costs of the opioid crisis borne by the forensic crime laboratories comes as funds are diverted in the laboratory to meet the increased demands for services in drug chemistry and toxicology. Dramatic increases in turnaround times across other areas of investigation continue to grow as the crisis accelerates.

© 2019 The Author(s).

Language: en

Keywords

Crime laboratories; Opioid crisis; Policy; Toxicology