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Washington Drug Statistics and Facts

  • Washington State, like much of the U.S., has seen substantial increases in the abuse and negative consequences of prescription-type Opiates over the last 10-15 years.
  • Prescription-type opiates seem to be a pathway to Heroin for many users, with 39 percent of Heroin injectors in Seattle, Washington reporting being hooked on prescription-type Opiates before trying Heroin in 2009.
  • Spokane County, Washington has one of the highest rates of deaths from prescription medications overdoses in the state, at 12.8 per 100,000 people. Statewide, the death rate, is 7.1 deaths per 100,000 people, and in King County it is 6 per 100,000.
  • The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said that Meth is widely abused and impacts all levels of the society in Washington,
  • Out of all federally-sentenced drug seizures in Washington, in 2006, more than 1/3 (36.7 percent) involved Meth, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
  • According to the Substance Abuse Treatment Episode Data Set, in Washington, 38,086 people entered and alcohol drug a rehabilitation program, in 2010. 62.7 percent of that number were males and 37.3 percent were females.
  • In 2007, nearly 38,000 people entered some form of substance abuse treatment in Washington State
  • In 2007 and 2008, Washington was 1 of the top 10 states for rates in several drug-use categories among people age 12 and older.
  • About 10 percent of Washington citizens reported past-month use of illegal drugs; the national average was 8 percent.
  • In 2010, 4,869 Washington State residents went to rehabilitation for alcohol addiction and 10,960 people were admitted for alcohol mixed with a secondary drug.
  • Alcohol-only admissions had declined, from over 45 percent of all admissions in 1992 to just over 19 percent in 2005.
  • In King County Washington, Meth was connected to 18 fatalities in 2009, according to one University of Washington study
  • Among patients admitted to Washington drug rehabilitations facilities, both the percentage and the actual number of patients that are addicted to Meth continues to increase. Stats from the Washington Department of Social and Health Services demonstrated that about 4,000 Washington drug rehabilitation patients cited Meth as their drug of choice in 2000, representing about 13% of all admissions
  • Concomitantly, drug-only admissions have increased, in Washington State, from 11 percent in 1998 to 27 percent in 2005. Since 2005, there has been a constant increase of people attending treatment for alcohol mixed with a secondary drug.
  • By 2006, more than 9,500 of those that entered drug rehabilitation in Washington needed help because of Meth, representing about a quarter of all substance abuse treatment admissions.
  • There were 3,584 Washington residents that went to drug rehabilitation for abusing Heroin. The largest population to be admitted into treatment was 21 to 25 year olds.
  • In Washington, there was a reported 8,544 people that went to drug treatment for Marijuana dependence in 2010. The most significant group of people that went to drug treatment that year was 12 to 17 years olds at 46.6 percent.
  • In Washington, 4,711 people entered treatment for abusing amphetamines in 2010 51.2 percent were female, and 48.8 percent were male.
  • In 2007, there were 6,378 Washington citizens that went to treatment for amphetamine addiction, which has decreased over time.
  • There were 3,102 people, In 2010, who went to treatment for other opiates, not including Heroin while 46.7 percent were male, and 53.3 percent were female, in Washington State.