Despite the rapid progress that humankind has made over the past couple of decades, several societal problems have also grown. One of these is drug use, which, unfortunately, has expanded along with the pharmacy industry. While medications to treat pain and mental health disorders have enabled lots of people to live their lives comfortably, at the same time, their potential for abuse has left large numbers of people addicted to them as well.
Using medicines as drugs is not a modern day trend. In fact, what is currently known as heroin was actually a treatment developed by Bayer Aktiengesellschaft (OTCMKTS:BAYRY) to treat cough. Ironically, Bayer had intended to market the drug as a non addictive substitute to morphine (another early pain treatment that had become an addictive drug when heroin was invented) as morphine had started to be abused. However, as history would have it, heroin would become the world's most addictive drug and one that claims countless lives each year due to overdose, abuse, and addiction.
In fact, pharmaceutical medicines are responsible for most of the overdose deaths in America, especially due to the opioid epidemic. Data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), between 1999 and 2020, 841,000 people died from drug overdoses in the U.S., out of which 500,000 were due to opioids. The opioid epidemic has also led to one of the biggest lawsuit payments in U.S. history, involving the consulting firm McKinsey. The New York Times in 2021 revealed that the consulting firm had advised its clients, namely Purdue Pharma, to give distributors a rebate for each OxyContin overdose from the pills that they sold. It also developed strategies to counter advertisements featuring mothers whose children had died from opioid overdose, and the firm paid a $578 million fine in 2021 but did not admit any wrongdoing. However, Purdue pleaded guilty and agreed to a whopping $8 billion fine.
Illicit drug use is a big industry in the U.S., with a report from RAND Corporation outlining that drug users in the U.S. spent a whopping $150 billion in 2016 on cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine. A report from the Office of Justice Programs in 1991 outlined that drug users had spent $18 billion on cocaine, $12 billion on heroin, $9 billion on marijuana, and $2 billion on other drugs in 1990 for a cumulative of $41 billion. Adjusting for inflation, this is equal to $92 billion in 2023 and $75 billion in 2016 - demonstrating that drug spending had effectively doubled between 1991 and 2016. America's population had stood at 248 million people in 1990 and had grown to 327 million by 2016, for a 32% growth - indicating that the spending per person also grew during the same time period, with spending growing much faster than the broader population.
At the same time, while drug users plow billions of dollars to fund their habit, the U.S. government also spends vast amounts against drug abuse. Research from the University of Pennsylvania shows that since 1971, America has spent more than a trillion dollars on the 'War Against Drugs'.
The latest figures on federal drug control spending from the Biden-Harris Administration earmark $42.5 billion in spending for the President's Budget for the fiscal year 2023, for an 8.9% annual growth. Given that inflation is currently around 5%, in reality, this marks a more modest ~4% increase. Half of this spending is for the Department of Health and Human Services, within which $11 billion (another 50%) is allocated to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The second biggest portion, $9.7 billion, is for the Justice Department, with the DEA, the Prison Bureau, and the Marshall Service getting generous amounts.
While the pharma industry undoubtedly plays a central role in drug abuse in America, another reality is that the industry also has some promising solutions to this problem. These treatments have been around for decades as well, with the most notable one being methadone. First introduced by Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) in the 1900s, methadone is sold under the brand name Dolophine. For alcoholic abuse disorder, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (NYSE:TEVA) and Odyssey Pharmaceuticals sell brand variants of Disulfiram - a medication that makes the user immediately feel the effects of a hangover after having a drink. Other drugs that treat both alcoholism and substance abuse are Revia, Vivitrol, and Campral EC - all of which are generic and have been present for decades. Another treatment that is being developed, but one that has hit roadblocks, is Adial Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADIL)'s AD04, which works similarly to anti depressants and aims to fight alcohol abuse. After AD04 failed clinical trials last year, the firm aims to meet with the FDA later this year to chart the way forward.
At the same time, some new treatments might be on the horizon as well. One such treatment involves spironolactone, which has been shown by researchers to be able to reduce alcohol consumption and desire. The drug is currently a treatment for blood pressure and is sold under the brand name Aldactone by Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE). Overall, the substance abuse treatment market was worth $10.2 billion in 2021 and it will grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.5% between 2022 and 2031 to sit at an estimated $23.1 billion at the end of the forecast period according to research from Transparency Market Research.
With these details in mind, let's take a look at the top American states with the highest rates of drug abuse.
In order to find the American states with the biggest drug problems, we first used data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) that lists down illicit drug use in people aged above 12 years by state. However, this data, which only lists the number of users of substances such as psychotherapeutics, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, inhalants, and methamphetamine in the states, is not indicative of the extent of drug problems within states due to population differences. Therefore, to make up for this discrepancy, we used the July 2022 census data, listed down the population for each state, and divided the number of drug users by the population for a percentage. This, in our opinion, is a more accurate indicator of drug problems by state.
States With the Biggest Drug Problems in 2023
15. New York
Percentage of Drug Users In Population: 14.44%
New York is the fourth most populous state in America, and its capital New York City is the largest in the U.S. in terms of population.
14. Montana
Percentage of Drug Users In Population: 14.53%
Montana is a northern American state and one of the least densely populated regions in the country.
13. Arizona
Percentage of Drug Users In Population: 15.40%
Arizona is a Southwestern state that borders New Mexico. It is also one of the most diverse states in the U.S., with a large percentage of Native American dwellers.
12. Massachusetts
Percentage of Drug Users In Population: 15.79%
Massachusetts is one of the more prosperous states in America. It is one of the most densely populated areas in the U.S.
11. Nevada
Percentage of Drug Users In Population: 15.96%
Nevada is a sparsely populated area. Known primarily for its gaming hub Las Vegas, the bulk of its population lives in the Vegas metropolitan area.
10. Michigan
Percentage of Drug Users In Population: 16.21%
Michigan is one of the largest states in the U.S. in terms of both its area and its population. The region was initially populated by Native Americans.
9. Washington
Percentage of Drug Users In Population: 16.48%
Washington is a Northern state that is located right at the end of the continental United States. Its largest city, Seattle, is an economic hub.
8. New Mexico
Percentage of Drug Users In Population: 16.99%
New Mexico is the fifth largest state in America in terms of area but one of the least populated areas in terms of population density.
7. Colorado
Percentage of Drug Users In Population: 17.04%
Colorado is a Western state known best for its Rocky Mountains. It has been inhabited for thousands of years, initially by Native Americans. Colorado is also home to crucial U.S. military installations, such as the headquarters of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the Air Force Academy, and a couple of Air Force bases.
6. Rhode Island
Percentage of Drug Users In Population: 17.09%
Rhode Island is the smallest state in America in terms of area. Yet, it ranks high on the list of states with high drug use.
