The frightening figure about drug addiction in Brighton and Hove is that it is costing the best part of £1 million a week.

A new report commissioned by the Home Office estimates there are about 1,800 addicts in the city who spend £23 million a year on drugs.

But because addicts often have to steal to finance their habit and sell the goods cheaply, the actual cost to the community is much higher.

That's why rehabilitation programmes are essential to try to lessen the problem and stop addiction from getting out of control.

It may seem a lot to spend £300 a week on the sort of programme being organised by the Crime Reduction Initiative and the St Thomas Fund.

But that's half what it would cost to keep a convicted addict in prison and much less than the sum he or she would steal each week.

These programmes also reduce the amount spent on hospital treatment for addicts and putting their children into care.

More important than the financial costs are the improvements in lifestyle for the addicts and their immediate families.

It's hard for anyone who hasn't been an addict to appreciate the tremendous hold drugs such as heroin have on them.

The craving is so strong that issues of right and wrong matter little compared with getting a fix.

The money spent on rehabilitating addicts is cash well spent.