A study published Wednesday ranks New Mexico as having the highest drug use when compared to other states.
The study conducted by WalletHub focuses on drug use and addiction, law enforcement and drug-related health issues and rehabs. Along with New Mexico having the highest overall issues, blue states were found outrank red states in drug problems.
The methodology focused on both adult and adolescent drug use, as well as the number of children who lived with someone who had a problem with drugs and alcohol. States were also analyzed for the share of adults who couldn’t get treatment, as well as those that could.
California, New Mexico and Arizona all ranked in the top states where teenagers were offered, sold or given illegal drugs on school property, all of which border Mexico and are dealing with an influx of controlled substances.
WalletHub noted that there were more than 103,500 drug overdose and poisoning deaths in the 12-month timeframe ending in November 2022. The DEA also seized the equivalent of more than 410 million lethal doses of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, in 2022, one of the leading causes of drug poisoning and deaths. (RELATED: British IT Exec Dies Of Fentanyl Poisoning At Disney World: Report)
Hawaii ranked lowest for overall drug use, followed closely by Utah and Florida.