Drug abuse isn’t a new problem to the United States, and it isn’t showing any signs of slowing either. From drugs like marijuana and prescription drugs, to cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin, we’ve collected all the data and compiled it to show just how addicted America is.
The US needs rehab centers more than ever, but how many people are actually getting the care that they need?
We’ve managed to track down some staggering statistics from 2013 to 2015, that outline just how extreme the use of illicit drugs is in the United States. We’ve discovered which states are the most addicted to drugs, which states have the most overdoses, and which states can help you get sober.
We’ve also considered how many people needed substance abuse treatment, how many didn’t receive the treatment they needed, and how many did – and the results are surprising.
21.7 million people aged 12 or older needed substance abuse treatment in 2015, 19.3 million did not receive treatment at a specialty facility, and only 2.3 million did receive treatment at a specialty facility.
When it comes to the drugs that the US is most addicted to, there is a wide range of use. The average percentage of each state to be dependent on illicit drugs is 2.6%, but we’ve found 14 states that tip the scales at 2.9% dependence rate and higher.
Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana, New York, Oregon, and West Virginia are tied for what percentage of their state is addicted to illicit drugs, which is 2.9%
In 2014, Colorado’s largest drug problem was centered around marijuana, while in the same year, Connecticut’s biggest issue was with heroin. In 2013, Georgia was known for its methamphetamine addiction, and Louisiana, New York, and Oregon were all most addicted to marijuana. Along with its marijuana addiction, New York also had a high addiction rate to cocaine in 2013. Differing from all the other states with a 2.9% dependence rate, West Virginia was most addicted to prescription drugs in 2014.
Next on the list, Massachusetts and New Mexico were tied at 3% illicit drug dependence for their states.
In 2014, Massachusetts was most addicted to cocaine, while New Mexico had an issue with both methamphetamine and marijuana in 2013.
Increasing in state-wide dependence, Vermont was noted to have a 3.1% dependence to prescription drugs in 2014.
In 2014, both Alaska and Arizona were tied at 3.2% drug dependence. Alaska was most addicted to methamphetamine, while Arizona was most addicted to heroin.
Topping the charts at 3.4% dependence, both Delaware and Rhode Island were noted in 2014 to being addicted to prescription drugs and heroin, respectively.
In addition, we’ve found the top 10 states for overdose deaths in 2015.
In the 10th spot, North Carolina had 1,567 overdose deaths, while Massachusetts had 1,724. The same year, Illinois had 1,835, Michigan had 1,980, Texas had 2,588 and in the 5th spot, New York had 2,754 overdose deaths. Only increasing in death toll, Florida had 3,228, Pennsylvania had 3,624, and Ohio had 3,310. The number one state for the most overdose deaths in 2015 had over 1,000 more deaths than Ohio – California had a staggering 4,659 overdose deaths.
In 2015, the top states for drug overdose yielded a total of 26,909 deaths – and that’s just in 10 states.
On the brighter side, we were also able to find the top states for getting sober.
They include Boston, Massachusetts, Delray Beach, Florida, Houston, Texas, Los Angeles, California, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Nashville, Tennessee, New York City, New York, Portland, Oregon, Prescott, Arizona, and San Francisco, California.