As U.S. lawmakers and healthcare providers struggle with how to address the nationwide opioid epidemic, drug abuse issues vary across the country, with the District of Columbia ranking No. 1 for drug problems, according to a WalletHub analysis.
To determine where drug abuse is most pronounced in the U.S., WalletHub compared all 50 states and the District across 20 metrics, including drug-related arrests, overdose rates, opioid prescriptions and meth-lab incidents per capita.
The analysis revealed Alabama had the most opioid prescriptions per 100 people, with 121 retail opioid pain reliever prescriptions per 100 residents. By contrast, the District ranked last in opioid prescriptions per 100 people, with only 33 prescriptions for every 100 residents.
When examining the most opioid deaths per capita, WalletHub found West Virginia had 52 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 residents, which is roughly eight times more than Nebraska, which had the fewest, at approximately six overdose deaths per 100,000 residents.
Here are the 20 states with worst drug problems, according to WalletHub.
1. District of Columbia
2. Missouri
3. New Hampshire
4. Michigan
5. West Virginia
6. New Mexico
7. Indiana
8. Rhode Island
9. Kentucky
10. Pennsylvania
11. Massachusetts
12. Colorado
13. Wyoming
14. Tennessee
15. Oregon
16. Delaware
17. Alaska
18. Maine
19. Arkansas
20. Maryland
To view the full report, click here.