What Is the Worst State for Overdose Deaths?
11. Pennsylvania
18.5 per 100,000 people
Pennsylvania has a big problem with the homeless population abusing and overdosing from opiates.
10. Kentucky
23.6 per 100,000 people
Kentucky is trying to start more drug rehabilitation programs within the prison systems.
Research shows that in areas struggling economically, communities are more prone to suffer from drug abuse. Does the economic status of a state enable drug use? Obviously, areas with higher crime rates generally have more people struggling with addiction, but does that mean we need a stricter police presence? It seems clear that we should bypass a lot of those obstacles and just figure out the best way to help those struggling with substance abuse.
Fewer addicts equal fewer overdoses.
9. Connecticut
24.5 per 100,000 people
Connecticut is one of the worst states when it comes to opioid-related deaths with a huge jump from 5.7 to 24.5 overdose deaths per 100,000 people.
8. Maine
25.2 per 100,000 people
Maine has established some of the toughest laws regulating the prescription of opiates.
7. Rhode Island
26.7 per 100,000 people
With 279 overdose deaths, this lands Rhode Island as the 7th worst state in the US for opioid deaths.
6. Massachusetts
29.7 per 100,000 people
1,821 deaths in the state of Massachusetts were caused by opioid overdose. The number of deaths from synthetics opioids jumped from 67 to 1,550.
5. Maryland
30 per 100,000 people
Maryland has been one of the worst states in the US for overdose deaths since 1999, with 30 deaths per 100,000 in 2016. Synthetic opioids have had a huge impact on the number of overdoses in the state.
4. Washington D.C.
30 per 100,000 people
The District of Columbia has one of the highest rates of overdose death with 209 deaths in 2016.
3. Ohio
32.9 per 100,000 people
Ohio is trying to start educating kids in school beginning right at Kindergarten level while combatting the increasing amount of Fentanyl flooding the state.
2. New Hampshire
35.8 per 100,000 people
New Hampshire is suffering for economic challenges and massive amounts of Fentanyl being shipped in from China.
1. West Virginia
The state with the highest overdose rate is West Virginia with 52.0 deaths per 100,000 residents. WV is experiencing startling rates of overdoses from synthetic opioids along with an increase in HIV and Hepatitis C.
Considering the number of deaths due to overdoses continue to rise each year, it would be safe to say something more needs to be done to combat this issue.
Addiction doesn’t just destroy the life of the person using drugs; It affects the entire family and the community.
I think treating the addict appropriately so they can strive in life is the key to preventing the epidemic from continuing. Traditional methods have proven to be not very effective and it seems insane to continue to treat addiction the same way, yet expect different results.
I work at Narconon, a holistic treatment center. We address the physical and mental aspects of addiction with a completely different, yet highly effective method.
If you or a loved one needs help, call me!
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