CONCORD, N.H. — Alcohol and drug misuse cost New Hampshire more than $1.8 billion in 2012, according to an organization that works to prevent and reduce substance abuse.

An analysis conducted by PolEcon Research for New Futures found that for every dollar the state gains from the sale of liquor and wine and taxes on beer, it incurs $12 in costs. The report, released Monday, estimates that doubling the number of people who receive substance abuse treatment would cost the state an additional $15 million but would reduce what the state now loses in productivity, medical care, criminal activity and other costs by $227 million. At nearly $1.2 billion, productivity losses accounted for the largest share of costs associated with substance misuse.


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