Yellowknife (May 01/06) - Alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs drain about $80 million a year from the Northwest Territories economy, says a study released last week.

That translates into $1,934 for each man, woman and child, a figure 52 per cent higher than the national average, according to the Canadian Centre for Substance Abuse.

The numbers are evidence that the territorial government is not doing enough to combat addictions, said Kam Lake MLA Dave Ramsay.

"We need more money for treatment programs... and things like medical detox," Ramsay said Friday.

"There is certainly room for improvement given the prevalence of substance abuse in the territories."

In tabulating the costs, researchers took into account prescription drug costs, lost workplace productivity, extra policing bills and hospital stays, among other factors.

Alcohol alone cost the Territories $40 million during 2002, the year that provided the centre with its baseline data. Drugs ranked second at $21.5 million, followed by tobacco at $19.5 million.

The only jurisdiction where substance abuse had a larger per capita footprint was Nunavut.

Overall, alcohol, tobacco and drugs cost the Canadian economy $39.2 billion during 2002 - a two-fold increase from 1992.

The centre said smoking was responsible for more than 37,000 deaths and alcohol more than 8,000.