Unfortunately, the US is still in the midst of an opioid epidemic. Thousands of American tragically die each year from a drug overdose. Opiates, such as prescription pain pills and heroin are the driving force behind this, especially as more drugs are cut with the deadly fentanyl. These states were hit the hardest….
West Virginia
West Virginia has a small population of only around 1.8 million, but a high number of them overdose on drugs. The CDC estimates that 41.5 out of 100,000 people die from a drug overdose in this state. Close to 90% of these deaths involve at least one opioid drug as well.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is another state with a small population, but unfortunately, opioid overdose fatalities have increased by 191% in the last five years. Around 34.3 people per 100,000 die of a drug overdose in this state.
Kentucky
When it comes to overdose fatalities in Kentucky, close to 30% are from heroin and another 34% from fentanyl. Kentucky was one of the states hit hardest by prescription drug abuse, particularly of OxyCotin. On average, 29.9 per 100,000 people die of a drug overdose in this state per year.
Ohio
Ohio actually leads the US in the number of opioid overdose deaths, heroin overdose deaths, and synthetic overdose deaths. It’s estimated that one out of every nine heroine overdose deaths happen in Ohio. In this state, 29.9 per 100,000 people will die of a drug overdose per year.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island is the smallest state in the nation but also suffers from a serious drug problem ranking 5th for most drug overdoses per capita. Around 28.2 per 100,000 people die of an overdose in Rhode Island.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania comes in at number six in terms of overdose deaths per capita, with 26.3 per 100,000 people dying from drugs. In fact, more people die of a drug overdose in Pennsylvania than car crashes.
Massachusetts
Of the overdose deaths in this state, heroin was present in around 54% of the toxicology reports. 25.7 per 100,000 people die due to a drug overdose in the state. So although this state has a smaller population, it has a higher rate of overdoses.
New Mexico
Overdose deaths in New Mexico are rising, without around 60% of them involved prescription opiates, 30% involving heroin, and 10% involving both. In New Mexico, 25.3 per 100,000 people die from a drug overdose in a year.
Utah
Utah comes in at number 9, with 23.4 per 100,000 people dying of a drug overdose. With a state population of 3 million, this is a large number of people dying from drugs. It’s estimated that 23 people die a month from opioid overdoses in this state.
Tennessee
Overdose deaths have steadily been rising in Tennessee over the past five years. Now, 22.2 per 100,000 people will die from an overdose. Opioid plays a major role in overdoses in this state, with them being involved in around 72% of all drug overdoses.
Final Thoughts
These ten states have the highest rates of overdose deaths per capita. Some states, such as California, New York, and Florida have higher numbers of overdoses but also have a larger population. Hopefully, as more awareness is raised about drug overdoses and drug addiction these numbers will slow.