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May 11, 2022 In In The News

Drug Use by State: 2022’s Problem Areas

From: Wallet Hub

Drug abuse has a long and storied history in the United States, and we’ve been “at war” with it since 1971 under the Nixon administration. Yet despite the country’s best efforts to fight it, the problem is getting worse, and is exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. There were over 100,000 drug overdose deaths in the 12-month period ending in April 2021, up 28.5% from the previous year. It’s crucial for the government to address this issue and prevent it from getting any worse.

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. This report attempts to answer those questions by comparing the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 21 key metrics, ranging from arrest and overdose rates to opioid prescriptions and employee drug testing laws.

Highest Drug Use by State

Overall Rank State Total Score Drug Use & Addiction Law Enforcement Drug Health Issues & Rehab
1 West Virginia 58.42 4 3 23
2 District of Columbia 57.24 1 29 7
3 Arkansas 54.02 14 4 9
4 Missouri 53.36 29 1 12
5 New Mexico 52.67 8 7 25
6 Nevada 52.41 9 37 1
7 Colorado 52.40 17 6 8
8 Michigan 52.09 13 19 4
9 Oregon 49.66 7 43 2
10 Tennessee 48.91 3 25 32
11 Louisiana 48.37 12 21 14
12 Kentucky 46.82 5 8 50
13 Rhode Island 46.79 11 47 5
14 Indiana 46.63 10 14 44
15 Massachusetts 46.35 18 20 15
16 Montana 46.27 16 23 11
17 Vermont 45.67 2 49 36
18 Arizona 45.52 21 28 6
19 Maine 45.40 6 46 21
20 Oklahoma 44.10 31 32 3
21 Wyoming 43.91 40 2 30
22 Illinois 43.75 24 18 31
23 Washington 42.09 15 44 20
24 New Hampshire 41.56 34 15 37
25 Kansas 41.25 36 24 10
26 Alaska 40.78 20 48 16
27 Mississippi 40.23 32 26 22
28 New York 40.14 37 16 40
29 California 39.65 22 30 38
30 Pennsylvania 39.31 35 9 48
31 Maryland 38.95 25 38 33
32 North Carolina 38.56 27 27 39
33 Florida 38.52 33 42 13
34 Delaware 37.93 30 41 27
35 New Jersey 37.52 41 12 34
36 Connecticut 37.45 23 35 42
37 Texas 36.95 46 13 18
38 Ohio 36.43 19 40 47
39 South Carolina 36.24 26 50 35
40 Wisconsin 35.34 42 10 46
41 Alabama 34.42 28 51 19
42 Georgia 34.18 38 36 26
43 South Dakota 33.87 49 11 28
44 Virginia 33.77 44 17 43
45 Nebraska 33.58 48 22 17
46 North Dakota 33.19 51 5 45
47 Iowa 32.81 43 33 24
48 Idaho 30.30 47 31 29
49 Utah 28.57 45 34 41
50 Hawaii 25.20 39 45 51
51 Minnesota 22.93 50 39 49