An insightful new report has revealed the states that have been hardest hit by America’s drug addiction epidemic.
About 100,000 Americans die from drug overdoses each year, official data suggests. Most of these deaths are due to ingestion of fentanyl, which can be fatal in very small doses.
But researchers at an online pharmacy have analyzed official figures to establish which regions of the country are the most affected.
West Virginia topped the list, with 79 drug-induced deaths per 100,000 people. The researchers suggested this was likely due to high rates of opioid prescriptions.
Interestingly, the region with the second highest number of drug deaths was the country’s political center, Washington DC, with about 70 drug deaths per 100,000 residents, which is also said to be the result of powerful painkiller prescriptions.
Drug overdose deaths are also a leading cause of substance use disorder deaths in the US.
Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, accompanied by his mother, first lady Jill Biden and his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, leaves the federal courthouse after hearing the verdict, Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in Wilmington, Del
Louisiana was at the bottom of the five hardest-hit states, with 53.3 deaths per 100,000 residents, 33 percent less than West Virginia.
The report, by online pharmacy Nowpatient, found that half of the top 10 states were in the South of the country and four were in the Northeast or Midwest.
The analysis did not reveal the states with the fewest drug-related deaths, although previous research suggests that South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana have the lowest number of overdose deaths in the nation.
Overdose deaths began rising in the United States around 2015 and 2016, when fentanyl first entered the illicit drug supply.
It is known to cause a stronger high than other opioids: 50 to 100 times stronger than heroin. But doses as low as two milligrams can be fatal.
The addiction crisis in the United States began in the 1990s, when doctors began prescribing high doses of powerful painkillers for many ailments, such as post-surgical pain or injuries, believing the risk of addiction was low.
But hundreds of thousands of patients became addicted and turned to the black market when their prescriptions ran out.
The graph above shows overdose deaths in the United States. The dots represent the predicted number, while the black line represents the actual number.
The map above shows how overdose deaths have changed by state over the past year. Although rates have fallen in many areas, they are still double what they were in 2015.
Surveys suggest that nearly two-thirds of Americans now have a family member addicted to drugs or alcohol, while nearly one in ten have lost a family member or relative to an overdose.
The latest data shows that annual overdose deaths are approximately 105,000, 43 percent higher than the 73,000 annually registered in January 2020.
The new report also analyzed data from 2022 on death rates related to alcohol and cigarettes.
Alcohol-related deaths can be related to long-term damage to organs, such as the liver, or injuries under the influence, such as those caused by car accidents.
Smoking remains the leading cause of death from substance use disorders in the U.S., and it is estimated that one in ten Americans is a current smoker.
New Mexico had the highest rate, with 43.8 alcohol-related deaths per 100,000 people.
Alaska had the second highest, 39 per 100,000, while Wyoming had the third highest, 35.4 per 100,000.
In New Mexico, alcohol is behind one in six deaths among working adults.
This astonishingly high rate has previously been linked to the influence of alcohol producers, as well as a strong drinking culture.
The pharmacy report also analyzed data from 2020 on the proportion of cancer deaths believed to be due to cigarettes.
The results showed that West Virginia had the highest proportion, followed by Kentucky (37.2 percent) and Arkansas (36.1 percent).
This was likely related to the fact that the state has the highest smoking rate in the nation, at 20 percent of adults, double the national average of ten percent.
Navin Khosla, a pharmacist behind the research, urged Americans to seek medical help if they have difficulty stopping using drugs or drinking alcohol.
“Addiction is a medical condition, not a sign of weakness or a defect that people overcome through willpower alone,” he said in the report.
‘You can start your journey to recovery by asking someone for help.
‘It could be a loved one, a close friend or anyone else. You could let them know that you are asking for help because your goal is to safely stop using drugs or alcohol.’