State alcohol and drug abuse directors are calling for the federal government to nearly triple the $1.2 billion it now spends for treatment programs for alcoholics and addicts.

"There is an urgent need to make additional treatment services available to all persons who need them, especially adolescents, pregnant women and IV (intravenous) and cocaine drug users," said John Gustafson, president of the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors.The estimated total costs of alcohol and drug abuse exceed $200 billion, but the Bush administration spends only about one-half of 1 percent of that amount on treatment, the group said in a report Tuesday.

Block grants, the states' main source of federal funds for treatment programs, total $1.2 billion this year. The association said that figure should be boosted by at least $2 billion.

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One study by the University of California at Los Angeles estimated that for every dollar spent for treatment services, $11.54 in social costs is saved.

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