Kentucky ranks 8th in nation for drug use

June 3, 2019 | 3:02 am

Updated June 3, 2019 | 9:11 am

Photo by U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Kentucky is one of the top states with the highest drug use, according to a new study from Wallet Hub.

The personal-finance website conducted a study that compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia in terms of 22 key metrics, ranging from arrest and overdose rates to opioid prescriptions and employee drug testing laws.

Below are the drug abuse and prevention in Kentucky rankings (1=Biggest Problem; 25=Avg.):
7th – opioid pain reliever prescriptions per capita
5th – drug overdose deaths per capita
15th – drug arrests per capita
23rd – share of adults who needed but didn’t receive treatment for illicit drug use in the past year
21st – drug arrests on college campuses per 1,000 students

According to the Center for Disease Control, in 2017 Kentucky providers wrote 86.8 opioid prescriptions for every 100 persons compared to the average U.S. rate of 58.7 prescriptions.

Owensboro and Daviess County both have units committed to investigating drug use in the community.

Sarah Adkins, director at Owensboro Regional Recovery, said with drugs and overdoses being such a problem in the community, family members or friends who want to help someone who has an addiction problem is encouraged to do research on the resources available to them.

“There are resources available such as the Casey’s Law website,” she said. “This law allows someone to file a petition with the court to mandate treatment for a loved one.”

Adkins said the majority of ORR clients come from the local area, but they do take referrals from all over Kentucky.

To read the full report and see where other states ranked, click here.

June 3, 2019 | 3:02 am

Share this Article

Other articles you may like