(UNDATED) – Drug abuse has a long and storied history in the United States, and the United States has been “at war” with it since 1971 under the Nixon administration. But no matter who is in office, the federal drug budget continues to increase, growing from $28.8 billion in 2017 to $29.9 billion in 2019.
The current administration seems to be taking a hardline approach to drug use. In addition to the issue of drugs crossing the border from Mexico, President Donald Trump has been focused especially on the opioid epidemic, even declaring it a national crisis. Unfortunately, any progress made on that front is threatened by the coronavirus pandemic, as social distancing ends up creating more potential for relapses and overdoses.
Given the uncertain future and lack of significant progress to date, it’s fair to wonder where drug abuse is most pronounced and which areas are most at risk.
With the stress of social distancing leading to drug use relapses or overdoses SAMHSA’s National Prevention Week in full swing, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on the States with the Biggest Drug Problems in 2020.
This report attempts to answer those questions by comparing the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 22 key metrics, ranging from arrest and overdose rates to opioid prescriptions and employee drug testing laws. Continue reading for the complete findings, commentary from a panel of researchers, and a full description of the methodology used.
You can find some highlights below.
Drug Abuse & Prevention in Indiana (1=Biggest Problem; 25=Avg.):
- 25th – Share of Teenagers Who Used Illicit Drugs in the Past Month
- 19th – Share of Adults Who Used Illicit Drugs in the Past Month
- 10th – Opioid Pain Reliever Prescriptions per Capita
- 19th – Drug Overdose Deaths per Capita
- 12th – Drug Arrests per Capita
- 7th – Coronavirus Support Score
Highest Drug Use by State
Overall Rank (1=‘Biggest Problem’) | State | Total Score | ‘Drug Use & Addiction’ Rank | ‘Law Enforcement’ Rank | ‘Drug Health Issues & Rehab’ Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Missouri | 58.96 | 18 | 1 | 16 |
2 | West Virginia | 58.72 | 4 | 3 | 36 |
3 | Michigan | 58.32 | 6 | 14 | 9 |
4 | District of Columbia | 56.82 | 3 | 36 | 2 |
5 | New Hampshire | 56.30 | 7 | 9 | 23 |
6 | New Mexico | 55.90 | 5 | 18 | 29 |
7 | Colorado | 55.81 | 20 | 7 | 14 |
8 | Arkansas | 53.69 | 14 | 8 | 34 |
9 | Nevada | 52.70 | 9 | 42 | 1 |
10 | Indiana | 52.58 | 21 | 4 | 40 |
11 | Vermont | 51.64 | 1 | 47 | 20 |
12 | Delaware | 51.02 | 2 | 44 | 13 |
13 | Oregon | 50.57 | 8 | 39 | 4 |
14 | Connecticut | 49.85 | 16 | 26 | 19 |
15 | Massachusetts | 49.41 | 15 | 24 | 30 |
16 | Rhode Island | 49.25 | 10 | 45 | 11 |
17 | Kentucky | 48.85 | 13 | 12 | 51 |
18 | Arizona | 48.59 | 24 | 20 | 17 |
19 | Tennessee | 48.51 | 11 | 27 | 31 |
20 | Montana | 48.45 | 22 | 29 | 5 |
21 | Louisiana | 47.78 | 27 | 23 | 15 |
22 | New Jersey | 47.35 | 30 | 6 | 42 |
23 | Maine | 44.95 | 12 | 46 | 32 |
24 | Oklahoma | 44.61 | 28 | 31 | 21 |
25 | Washington | 44.44 | 17 | 48 | 22 |
26 | Pennsylvania | 44.27 | 31 | 10 | 47 |
27 | Illinois | 43.49 | 33 | 16 | 45 |
28 | South Carolina | 43.42 | 29 | 40 | 10 |
29 | Alaska | 42.90 | 23 | 49 | 12 |
30 | Ohio | 42.86 | 25 | 32 | 39 |
31 | Wyoming | 42.82 | 41 | 2 | 44 |
32 | Maryland | 42.18 | 19 | 41 | 43 |
33 | North Carolina | 41.88 | 32 | 21 | 38 |
34 | New York | 41.79 | 40 | 15 | 33 |
35 | Mississippi | 41.71 | 36 | 25 | 8 |
36 | Texas | 41.70 | 47 | 11 | 6 |
37 | Alabama | 41.29 | 26 | 51 | 3 |
38 | Georgia | 40.74 | 37 | 28 | 7 |
39 | Florida | 39.97 | 34 | 34 | 27 |
40 | California | 39.11 | 35 | 38 | 18 |
41 | Virginia | 39.08 | 46 | 13 | 35 |
42 | Wisconsin | 37.84 | 39 | 17 | 48 |
43 | North Dakota | 37.28 | 50 | 5 | 41 |
44 | Iowa | 35.36 | 45 | 30 | 25 |
45 | Nebraska | 34.76 | 48 | 22 | 28 |
46 | Utah | 34.68 | 44 | 33 | 26 |
47 | South Dakota | 33.62 | 51 | 19 | 24 |
48 | Idaho | 33.02 | 38 | 37 | 46 |
49 | Kansas | 32.78 | 43 | 35 | 37 |
50 | Hawaii | 26.62 | 42 | 50 | 50 |
51 | Minnesota | 26.11 | 49 | 43 | 49 |
Information https://wallethub.com/