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Vermont Drug Statistics and Facts

  • 2006 stats show that Vermont ranks among the highest 10 states in the union for various drug and alcohol related abuse categories.
  • In Vermont, following Marijuana and alcohol, prescription drugs are the most frequently abused substances among every age group.
  • Nationwide and in Vermont, abuse of controlled prescription drugs is a rapid growing area of concern.
  • Prescription drug abuse or misuse is one of the primary reasons for people entering substance abuse treatment in Vermont.
  • In 2008, Vermont had the 2nd highest per capita rate of admissions to treatment for prescription Opiates among all states.
  • The majority (60%) of these admissions were young people 20 to 29 years old, in Vermont. In 2006, other Opiates surpassed Heroin as the main source of Opiate addiction for individuals entering treatment at programs funded by the Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs at the Vermont Department of Health. Since then, the number of individuals looking for treatment for addiction to artificial Opiates has continued to grow every year.
  • More people were prosecuted in federal court, in Vermont, last year for illegal trafficking in Oxycodone and other prescription Opiates than for any other drug, including Heroin, Marijuana and Cocaine.
  • Prescription opiates in 2010 accounted for more than half the total of fatal drug overdoses in Vermont, for the 6th consecutive year
  • The state of Vermont ranks 2nd in the country, behind only Maine, in per-capita admissions for treatment for addiction to prescription medications. The number of Vermont residents seeking treatment for Opiate addiction in 2010 was up 21% from 2008 and up 300% from 2005.
  • According to federal Drug Enforcement Administration statistics, Vermont led the nation in 2010 in per-capita consumption of Buprenorphine, the drug most commonly used to treat opiate abuse.
  • There were 40 drug and alcohol addiction treatment centers in 2006. Only 4 centers offer Opioid treatment, in Vermont. Only 16 drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers provide dual diagnosis treatment, treatment for both mental health disorders and substance abuse.
  • Vermont has ranked among the highest States for the prevalence of illegal drug dependence, among the total population age 12 and older and for young adults 18 to 25.
  • 71 percent of all the alcoholics in the state of Vermont are male while 73 percent of the individuals that are addicted to alcohol and a main drug are males.
  • In Vermont, 49 percent of all Cocaine users smoke it in Crack form and are between the ages of 31 and 40 while 40.5 percent in the same age bracket ingest the drug by other means.
  • Numbers of people seeking for drug and alcohol addiction treatment, in Vermont, has fluctuated for some years going from 7,641 in 2002 to 8,356 in 2008 and also back to 7,851 in 2010
  • In 2010, there were 2,123 Vermont residents admitted for alcohol as the main substance of abuse with an additional 1,672 people that went to addiction treatment for alcohol in mixed with a secondary drug.
  • The largest age group suffering from mainly substance abuse of alcohol was among the 46 to 50 year olds followed by 41 to 45 year olds, in Vermont.
  • Over the past ten years, Marijuana, Heroin and Cocaine have been steadily increasing, in Vermont. In 2008, nearly 12 percent of Vermont citizens reported past-month use of illicit drugs; the national average was 8 percent.
  • Marijuana ranks as the 2nd most abused drug in Vermont. In 2010, 1,228 people were admitted for alcohol and drug treatment of Marijuana addiction.
  • Opiates were the most often sited drugs of abuse for those seeking addiction treatment in Vermont. In 2010, 1,890 people entered treatment for addiction to Opiates.