One in five Utahns support a cash payment for addicts to stay sober

According to a survey conducted by SunriseHouse.com, one in five Utahns support the idea of paying those addicted to drugs and alcohol a cash payment to stay sober. At least half of those participating in the study said that participants should receive an outright cash payment.

And the money would come – from taxpayers. 

Californians recently proposed a new strategy to help addicts overcome their addictions by paying them small incentives to stay sober. Sunrise House, which provides addiction treatments, polled 3,757 Americans to see if people in other states supported a program in the same way that Californians had.

The poll found that 20% of Utahns who were asked said they are in favor of this incentive.

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The average monetary amount that Utahns said would be fair in return for completing a treatment program is $307, compared to a national average of $579. Based on the survey, Alaska is the most supportive of this incentive-based program.  People in Alaska said they were willing to put forth $1,467, while those in Mississippi were on the lower end with a $238 incentive. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that in 2020 drug overdoses reached their highest ever number recorded in a 12-month period, by over 29.7%. 

This new payment program would pay a small incentive for every negative test over a set period of time.   

While there is general research that shows that addictive behaviors can be helped with monetary compensation, addiction does require extra forms of support. More than 80% of those polled believe that additional counseling should be a requirement in order to receive a monetary benefit.