South Carolina Drug Statistics and Facts

• In South Carolina, 5 of the 13 measures of drug use showed a significantly higher prevalence rate within rural teens: chewing tobacco (11.5 percent), using Cocaine/Crack (5.9 percent), smoking cigarettes at school (14.8 percent), chewing tobacco at school (7.6 percent), and using steroids (7.4 percent).
• Cocaine, especially Crack Cocaine continues to be the primary drug threat to South Carolina. The drug is readily available and often abused in the state.
• There were 27,802 South Carolina residents, in 2010, who entered an alcohol and drug rehabilitation program 68.3 percent were male, and 31.7 percent were female.
• In 2006, there were 104 alcohol and drug centers in South Carolina
• In the most current Survey, 7 percent of South Carolina residents reported abusing illicit drugs in the last 30 days, and the national average was 8.02 percent.
• According to the 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 1.9% of South Carolina residents reported having used Cocaine at least once in the past year compared with 1.7% nationwide.
• Eighty percent of all the alcoholics in South Carolina, are male while 75 percent of the individuals that are addicted to alcohol and a main drug as well are males.
• 33.5 percent of all alcoholics, in South Carolina, are between the ages of 36 and 45, while over 35 percent of these substance abusers that drink alcohol and use a main drug along with their drink of choice are between the ages of 31 and 40.
• According to the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, Cocaine-related treatment admissions to publicly funded centers decreased from 5,643 in 1997 to 5,018 in 2000 then increased to 5,420 in 2001.
• In 2010, the data indicates that Marijuana is the most frequently cited drug among main drug treatment admissions in South Carolina, exceeding primary treatment admissions for stimulants (including Meth), and other Opiates, including many prescription drugs.
• There were 11,571 South Carolina residents admitted into treatment for alcohol, in 2010, as the main abused substance and an additional 5,034 people admitted for alcohol mixed with a secondary drug.
• Law enforcement officials across South Carolina report that Cocaine distributors often carry firearms and have committed homicides, assaults, and drive-by shootings. Further, Crack abusers often commit crimes to support their drug habits, resulting in increased property crime and violent crime rates.
• In South Carolina, 1,377 individuals had been admitted to substance abuse treatment for smoking Cocaine while an additional 577 individuals were admitted for ingesting Cocaine through another way than smoking.
• Meth poses a lesser menace to South Carolina than Cocaine and Marijuana, but, production and abuse are increasing, especially in the Upstate and Midlands areas, and state, and local law enforcement authorities report that Meth distributors and producers often commit violent crimes.
• According to the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, the number of Meth related treatment admissions to publicly funded centers in 2001 (103) was greater than in 1997 (58).
• In 2010, data shows that Marijuana is the most frequently cited drug among leading drug treatment admissions in South Carolina. There were 6,085 people admitted into drug rehabilitation for Marijuana dependence, and of that number, 68.2 percent were male, and 31.8 percent were female.
• Prescription drugs continue to be a problem in South Carolina. In 2010, there were 1,982 people admitted for treatment for Opiates other than Heroin.
• The number of Meth lab confiscations incidents in South Carolina increased 231 percent from 26 incidents in 2007 to 86 incidents in 2009, according to the information from the El Paso Intelligence Centers National Seizure System.
• MDMA, also known as Ecstasy, abuse and availability, are most common in cities and areas frequented by tourists along the Atlantic Coast of South Carolina.
• Although there is presence of Heroin, in South Carolina, it has not been viewed as a serious drug or public health threat. There are numerous admissions into various South Carolina drug rehabilitation facilities, but most of use is concentrated along the coastal areas and among many urban areas in the state.