Washington, D.C., topped every state in a new study for having the biggest problems in terms of drug use and addiction.
The District of Columbia was rated the worst place for drug use based on arrest, overdose rates to opioid prescriptions, and meth-lab incidents, according to a WalletHub report released Monday, the start of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration’s National Prevention Week.
Missouri, New Hampshire, Michigan, West Virginia, New Mexico, Indiana, Rhode Island, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania followed D.C. The district tends to be over-represented in certain studies because it is entirely urban, as opposed to states that have a mixtures of rural, suburban, and urban areas.
The study also concluded blue states, or those that go to Democrats in elections, had bigger drug problems than red states, which are governed by Republican majorities.
States with the the highest percentage of adult drug users were Vermont, Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, and the District of Columbia, while Utah, Texas, Alabama, North Dakota, and Iowa had the lowest percentage.
The state with the highest drug overdose rate was West Virginia, where 52 out of 100,000 residents will die while using. Nebraska had the lowest national rate: 6.4 per 100,000 residents.
Alabamans reported 121 retail opioid pain relief prescriptions for every 100 residents, the highest nationwide. On the other hand, District of Columbia residents had the lowest number of prescription opioids at 33 for every 100 residents.
The U.S. government began its war on drugs in 1971 during the Nixon administration, but the fight has evolved to different types of narcotics through the years. The opioid and fentanyl epidemics are the primary focus of the federal government’s anti-drug efforts today. The Trump administration has pressed for harsher sentences for drug dealers who sell products that lead to a person’s death from overdosing.
