Is Drug Abuse Problem A Major Problem In New York State?

When it comes to drug abuse, does New York State rank high among the other states in America? National Prevention Week kicks off in a few days on May 7 and runs through May 13, 2023. Many people turn to drugs as a way to self-medicate or cope with pain, emotions, mental illness, loss, and even just day-to-day life. Even though there have been many ongoing wars on drugs, they still haven't figured out how to make drug abuse go away. According to the Centers for Disease Control, there were more than 103,000 deaths nationwide caused by overdoses in the 12-month period ending in November 2022.

Before marijuana was legalized in New York State, there was a war of sorts on it, although many people don't really consider it a drug. The structure of the state's first Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensaries or CAURD licenses is designed to give justice to people who were punished by marijuana laws.

CAURD licensees are the first retail dispensaries to open for legal adult-use cannabis sales in New York State, establishing businesses owned by justice-involved individuals at the bedrock of New York’s adult-use cannabis market.

 

Are New Yorkers Abusing Drugs?

WalletHub conducted a study of drug use among the 50 states in America and the District of Columbia. It used 20 key metrics, including arrest and overdose rates, opioid prescriptions, percentage of teenage drug users, the number of substance abuse facilities, and employee drug testing laws, to rank each state.

As far as where New York State ranks, we landed almost squarely in the middle, considering there are 50 states and D.C. on the list

New York State Ranks #24 for Drug Use

Here's a Snapshot of Drug Abuse & Prevention in New York (1=Biggest Problem; 25=Avg.):

15th – Share of Teenagers Who Used Illicit Drugs in the Past Month
16th – Share of Adults Who Used Illicit Drugs in the Past Month
47th – Opioid Pain Reliever Prescriptions per 100 People
32nd – Drug Overdose Deaths per Capita
22nd – Drug Arrests per Capita
35th – Share of Adults Who Couldn’t Get Treatment for Illicit Drug Use in the Past Year
10th – Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities per 100,000 People (Age 12+) Using Illicit Drugs

 

You can see the full list on WalletHub's website.