The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the nation’s drug problem. In fact, in 2020, there were over 88,000 drug overdose deaths, an increase of about 27% from 2019.
To address this issue, the government allocated $4 billion for programs to provide substance abuse and mental health care services under the American Rescue Plan stimulus.
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roman dragunov / istockphoto
Ranking drug use
WalletHub recently released a report to determine where drug abuse is most prominent and which areas across the United States are the most at risk. They measured drug use through 21 metrics, including arrest and overdose rates, opioid prescriptions and employee drug testing laws.
WalletHub’s full methodology can be found here.
Below are the nation’s drug use rankings from lowest to highest drug use.
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Art Wager
51. Hawaii
- Total Score: 26.44
- Drug Use & Addiction: 43
- Law Enforcement: 49
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 51
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” 4kodiak”
50. Utah
- Total Score: 27.14
- Drug Use & Addiction: 50
- Law Enforcement: 37
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 38
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JoeChristensen
49. Minnesota
- Total Score: 28.21
- Drug Use & Addiction: 45
- Law Enforcement: 38
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 45
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knowlesgallery
48. Idaho
- Total Score: 30.77
- Drug Use & Addiction: 42
- Law Enforcement: 30
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 47
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JoeChristensen
47. Iowa
- Total Score: 31.92
- Drug Use & Addiction: 44
- Law Enforcement: 41
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 20
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marekuliasz
46. Nebraska
- Total Score: 33.47
- Drug Use & Addiction: 46
- Law Enforcement: 23
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 21
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ABEMOS / istockphoto
45. Virginia
- Total Score: 33.96
- Drug Use & Addiction: 48
- Law Enforcement: 14
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 41
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sequential5
44. North Dakota
- Total Score: 34.5
- Drug Use & Addiction: 51
- Law Enforcement: 4
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 29
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SeanPavonePhoto
43. South Carolina
- Total Score: 35.03
- Drug Use & Addiction: 26
- Law Enforcement: 50
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 36
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James Deitsch
42. Alabama
- Total Score: 35.38
- Drug Use & Addiction: 32
- Law Enforcement: 51
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 5
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RiverNorthPhotography
41. South Dakota
- Total Score: 35.49
- Drug Use & Addiction: 47
- Law Enforcement: 10
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 32
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Elisa.rolle
40. Florida
- Total Score: 35.91
- Drug Use & Addiction: 33
- Law Enforcement: 36
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 35
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Michael Pham
39. Kansas
- Total Score: 36.22
- Drug Use & Addiction: 36
- Law Enforcement: 29
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 26
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SeanPavonePhoto
38. Georgia
- Total Score: 36.25
- Drug Use & Addiction: 39
- Law Enforcement: 32
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 10
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FierceAbin
37. Wisconsin
- Total Score: 36.35
- Drug Use & Addiction: 41
- Law Enforcement: 15
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 46
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DenisTangneyJr
36. Texas
- Total Score: 36.89
- Drug Use & Addiction: 49
- Law Enforcement: 16
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 13
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republica
35. Washington
- Total Score: 37.95
- Drug Use & Addiction: 19
- Law Enforcement: 45
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 43
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DepositPhotos.com
34. North Carolina
- Total Score: 38.11
- Drug Use & Addiction: 29
- Law Enforcement: 26
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 39
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stevegeer
33. Mississippi
- Total Score: 38.55
- Drug Use & Addiction: 35
- Law Enforcement: 24
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 24
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ibsky
32. Illinois
- Total Score: 39.35
- Drug Use & Addiction: 34
- Law Enforcement: 18
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 44
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mlauffen
31. California
- Total Score: 39.55
- Drug Use & Addiction: 31
- Law Enforcement: 35
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 17
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Boogich
30. New York
- Total Score: 39.98
- Drug Use & Addiction: 40
- Law Enforcement: 11
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 25
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DepositPhotos.com
29. Oklahoma
- Total Score: 40.61
- Drug Use & Addiction: 28
- Law Enforcement: 34
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 15
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James_Lane
28. Maryland
- Total Score: 41.12
- Drug Use & Addiction: 15
- Law Enforcement: 40
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 31
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aimintang
27. New Jersey
- Total Score: 41.79
- Drug Use & Addiction: 38
- Law Enforcement: 8
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 23
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traveler1116
26. Connecticut
- Total Score: 42.37
- Drug Use & Addiction: 23
- Law Enforcement: 25
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 33
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danlogan
25. Rhode Island
Total Score: 42.71
Drug Use & Addiction: 17
Law Enforcement: 46
Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 7
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AppalachianViews
24. Pennsylvania
- Total Score: 42.74
- Drug Use & Addiction: 27
- Law Enforcement: 6
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 49
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dypics
23. Ohio
- Total Score: 43.08
- Drug Use & Addiction: 11
- Law Enforcement: 33
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 34
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HaizhanZheng
22. Oregon
- Total Score: 44.17
- Drug Use & Addiction: 13
- Law Enforcement: 43
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 14
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dschreiber29
21. Wyoming
- Total Score: 44.2
- Drug Use & Addiction: 37
- Law Enforcement: 2
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 48
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wanderluster
20. Arizona
- Total Score: 44.23
- Drug Use & Addiction: 24
- Law Enforcement: 31
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 8
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Rdlamkin
19. Arkansas
- Total Score: 44.24
- Drug Use & Addiction: 30
- Law Enforcement: 5
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 37
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DenisTangneyJr
18. New Hampshire
- Total Score: 44.86
- Drug Use & Addiction: 21
- Law Enforcement: 17
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 42
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DenisTangneyJr
17. Vermont
- Total Score: 45.13
- Drug Use & Addiction: 7
- Law Enforcement: 47
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 19
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DenisTangneyJr
16. Louisiana
- Total Score: 45.43
- Drug Use & Addiction: 22
- Law Enforcement: 22
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 16
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Swarmcatcher
15. Tennessee
- Total Score: 45.44
- Drug Use & Addiction: 8
- Law Enforcement: 27
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 40
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Chilkoot
14. Alaska
- Total Score: 45.67
- Drug Use & Addiction: 9
- Law Enforcement: 48
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 6
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YinYang
13. Montana
- Total Score: 46.43
- Drug Use & Addiction: 18
- Law Enforcement: 20
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 22
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Rolf_52
12. Massachusetts
- Total Score: 46.92
- Drug Use & Addiction: 16
- Law Enforcement: 21
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 18
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DepositPhotos.com
11. Maine
- Total Score: 47.58
- Drug Use & Addiction: 4
- Law Enforcement: 44
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 11
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Thomas Kelley
10. Kentucky
- Total Score: 48.87
- Drug Use & Addiction: 6
- Law Enforcement: 9
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 50
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f11photo
9. Indiana
- Total Score: 48.94
- Drug Use & Addiction: 10
- Law Enforcement: 13
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 28
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haveseen
8. Michigan
- Total Score: 49.52
- Drug Use & Addiction: 14
- Law Enforcement: 19
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 9
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mdgmorris
7. Delaware
- Total Score: 49.71
- Drug Use & Addiction: 5
- Law Enforcement: 42
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 4
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AlizadaStudios
6. Nevada
- Total Score: 50.22
- Drug Use & Addiction: 12
- Law Enforcement: 39
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 2
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Davel5957
5. New Mexico
- Total Score: 53.28
- Drug Use & Addiction: 2
- Law Enforcement: 12
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 27
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Jacob Boomsma / istockphoto
4. Colorado
- Total Score: 53.68
- Drug Use & Addiction: 20
- Law Enforcement: 7
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 3
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eyecrave
3. Missouri
- Total Score: 53.98
- Drug Use & Addiction: 25
- Law Enforcement: 1
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 12
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hkim39 // istockphoto
2. West Virginia
- Total Score: 56.29
- Drug Use & Addiction: 3
- Law Enforcement: 3
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 30
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DepositPhotos.com
1. District of Columbia
- Total Score: 60.67
- Drug Use & Addiction: 1
- Law Enforcement: 28
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab: 1
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