Opioid Epidemic Fewest People of New Mexico Florida Receive Treatment Says Report

1. Opioid Epidemic Opioid Epidemic - - Fewest People of New Mexico, Florida Receive Treatment, Says Report Fewest People of New Mexico, Florida Receive Treatment, Says Report Though America seemingly launched a “war on drugs”– a term made popular by the media after the then President, Richard Nixon, declared drug abuse as “public enemy number one” in 1971 – the nation seems to have learnt little. Almost half-a-century later, the situation is the grimmest ever with the successive governments changing their stances between ameliorative and hardline approaches. Though President Donald Trump had also vowed to wipe off the scourge by ensuring stringent measures, including death penalty for those found trafficking drugs like fentanyl, no impact of it has been felt so far. Even as fentanyl – a very strong prescription opioid meant for chronic pain, but widely propagated by drug cartels and traffickers – joins various other prescription opioids and heroin to fuel the drug epidemic pushing the overdose deaths to the highest ever in the national history, federal bodies like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reportedly seem to collude with the drug makers of TIRF (transmucosal immediate-release fentanyl) and employ a drug major on the rolls for regulating the distribution of fentanyl. This dichotomy between what is preached and what is practiced is in part responsible for the opioid epidemic continuing despite the measures. The data available on drug overdose deaths, government spending and other measures were analyzed by a financial website WalletHub recently. It found that the Red states (headed by Republicans) fared better than the Blue states (by Democrats) in terms of overall rankings. While the Democrats had an average rank of 22.95, the Republicans had an average rank of 28.13. The website ranked the 50 states and the District of Columbia on the basis of their drug use and addiction, law enforcement, drug health issues and rehab rank. States that took the top five ranks with respect to drug use and addiction were: District of Columbia Rhode Island Ohio Alaska www.sovfl.com

2. Maryland The bottom five states where the problem was not as serious as other states were: Minnesota South Dakota North Dakota Nebraska Iowa Some other significant findings of the report were: Highest percentage of teenage drug use was observed in Alaska, followed by Rhode Island, and New Mexico. New Jersey, followed by Nevada and Arizona fared poorly in terms of the number of teens who were offered, sold or given an illegal drug in school premises. The highest rates of adult drug use were recorded in Vermont, Alaska and Colorado. States that disbursed the most number of opioid prescriptions per 100 people were Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee. Most overdose deaths per capita were recorded in West Virginia, Ohio and New Hampshire. States that fared poorly in the availability of substance abuse treatment facilities were Texas, Nevada and District of Columbia; states that topped the charts were Kentucky, Wyoming and Utah. New Mexico, Florida and Idaho had the fewest people receiving treatment per 100,000 drug users; on the contrary, Connecticut, New York and Iowa were at the top. States with the most number of people receiving substance abuse treatment per 100,000 drug users, Connecticut, Iowa, New York, Vermont and Minnesota. Most drug arrests per capita were made in South Dakota, Wyoming and Mississippi. It also emerged that the substance abuse problem is less endemic in the Red states compared to the Blue states. Dealing with opioid addiction As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), opioid overdose claims over 115 lives each day. In spite of initiatives taken both at the state and federal levels, prescription drug abuse continues to ravage lives. For those who are addicted to any opioid, be it prescription drugs or illicit heroin, the earlier they seek medical help, the better the chances of recovery. Sovereign Health of Florida is a leading behavioral and substance abuse treatment center in Florida, offering top-notch care to adult men and women at both its Fort Myers and Pompano Beach facilities. For more information on our evidence-based prescription drugs addiction treatment or to locate our credible prescription drug addiction treatment center, call at the 24/7 helpline number (866) 217-5527. www.sovfl.com