National study: Michigan ranks second highest for drug use as opioid abuse rates climb

Originally published by WSBT

Michigan’s opioid abuse problem is getting worse, according to a national finance study. Wallethub reported Michigan is the state with the second highest rate of drug use.

The ranking was based on numbers, not science. However, the numbers brought new attention to concerns of drugs and opioid abuse in Michigan.

The Wallethub study compared 50 states and the District of Columbia. Michigan ranked second for the highest rate of drug use. Washington D.C. topped the chart.

The study focused on 22 key metrics—ranging from arrest and overdose rates, to opioid prescriptions and employee drug testing laws. The study had three cumulative categories:

• Drug Use and Addiction
• Law Enforcement
• Drug Health Issues and Rehab

Michigan ranked in the top 15 for all of the cumulative categories. When it came to scoring drug use and addiction, Michigan ranked as the third highest state. Michigan came in at seventh overall for drug health issues and rehab.

The state was 14th for the law enforcement category. One part of the law enforcement category looked at the number of drug related arrests per capita.

Michigan isn’t the only state seeing an increase in drug use. The federal budget to fight the war on drugs nationwide has increased by nearly $4 billion in five years. It moved from $23.8 billion in 2013 to $27.7 billion in 2018.

Read the full article here.