Kentucky Has 2019’s 8th Biggest Drug Problem
WalletHub released its report on the States with the Biggest Drug Problems in 2019 and Kentucky ranks in the Top 10. We have work to do.
I won't say that I was surprised, when I saw the report this morning from the personal-finance website, WalletHub. Violence, arrests, murders and crime in general, is on the rise and much of the time, drugs are a factor in some way. Nobody wins.
This report shows just how much some states are suffering, including ours.
"Given the uncertain future and lack of significant progress to date, it’s fair to wonder where drug abuse is most pronounced and which areas are most at risk in the current political climate. This report attempts to answer those questions by comparing the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 22 key metrics, ranging from arrest and overdose rates to opioid prescriptions and employee drug testing laws. Continue reading for the complete findings, commentary from a panel of researchers and a full description of the methodology used."
With the most drug overdose deaths per capita, Kentucky ranks 5th in the study.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse has some startling data to contribute about the Opioid Epidemic in Kentucky.
In 2017, there were 1,160 reported opioid-involved deaths in Kentucky—a rate of 27.9 deaths per 100,000 persons, compared to the average national rate of 14.6 deaths per 100,000 persons.
Kentucky is among the top 10 states with the highest opioid pain reliever prescribing rates. In 2017, Kentucky providers wrote 86.8 opioid prescriptions for every 100 persons compared to the average U.S. rate of 58.7 prescriptions