MA Has 9th Biggest Drug Problem in U.S.

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Tuesday, May 16, 2017

GoLocalWorcester News Team

Massachusetts has one of the biggest drug problems in the United States. 

According to a recent study completed by WalletHub, MA has the 9th biggest drug problem in the country. 

“The number of people who admit to ever using an illicit drug actually rose from 1979 (31.3%) to 2015 (48.8%), according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Annual overdose deaths have more than tripled from 2000 (17,415) to 2015 (52,404). And over 11 times more people were in prisons and jails for drug offenses in 2015 (469,545) than in 1980 (40,900), according to The Sentencing Project,” said WalletHub

MA’s Rankings: 

• 9th Highest - Drug Use & Addiction 
• 48th Highest - Law Enforcement 
• 5th Highest - Drug Health Issues & Rehab
• 49th- Fewest Drug Arrests per Capita 
• 5th Highest - Percentage of adults with unmet drug-treatment needs 

 

The Rankings 

Massachusetts ranks behind Connecticut and Arizona, who rank 7th and 8th respectively. Massachusetts ranks ahead of Michigan and New Hampshire, who rank 10th and 11th overall. 

District of Columbia is ranked as the state with the biggest drug problem, while Idaho is ranked as the state with the smallest drug problem.

See the full rankings in the map below. 

 

The Method

To determine which states have the biggest drug problems, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia in three overall categories: 1) Drug Use & Addiction, 2) Law Enforcement and 3) Drug Health Issues & Rehab.

Those categories include a total of 15 relevant metrics. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the biggest drug problem.

WalletHub then calculated the total score for each state and the District, using the weighted average across all metrics. This total score was the basis for our final ranking. So the state ranked 1st in this study has the biggest drug problem, based on the data at hand, while the state ranked 51st has the smallest drug problem.

Drug Use & Addiction – Total Points: 50

• Percentage of Teenagers Who Used Illicit Drugs in the Past Month: Triple Weight (~11.54 Points)
• Percentage of Teenagers Who Tried Marijuana Before Age 13 Years: Full Weight (~3.85 Points)
• Percentage of Teenagers Who Were Offered, Sold, Or Given An Illegal Drug On School Property in the Past Year: Full Weight (~3.85 Points)
• Percentage of Adults Who Used Illicit Drugs in the Past Month: Triple Weight (~11.54 Points)
• Number of Opioid Pain Reliever Prescriptions per 100 People: Full Weight (~3.85 Points)
• Number of Methamphetamine Lab Incidents (population adj): Full Weight (~3.85 Points)
• Number of Overdose Deaths per Capita: Double Weight (~7.69 Points)
• Overdose Deaths Growth (2015 vs 2014): Full Weight (~3.85 Points)

 

Law Enforcement – Total Points: 25

• Number of Drug Arrests per Capita: Full Weight (~6.25 Points)
• Number of Drug Arrests on College Campuses per 1,000 Students: Full Weight (~6.25 Points)
• Prescription Drug Monitoring Laws: Full Weight (~6.25 Points)
• Maternity Drug Policy (Is Substance Abuse During Pregnancy a Crime?): Full Weight (~6.25 Points)

 

Drug Health Issues & Rehab – Total Points: 25

• Percentage of Adults Who Needed But Didn’t Receive Treatment for Illicit Drug Use in the Past Year: Double Weight (~10.00 Points)
• Number of Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities per 100,000 People (12 Years and Older) Using Illicit Drugs: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
• Number of Admissions to Substance Abuse Treatment Services per 100,000 People (12 Years and Older) Using Illicit Drugs: Double Weight (~10.00 Points)

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Related Slideshow: #50 to #1: Doctors in Worcester That Received the Most Money from Drug Companies

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