Wyoming Ranked Poorly for 2021 ‘Drug Use By State: Problem Areas’
It is no secret that Wyoming has a statewide issue with illegal drug abuse, but a new study breaks down some of the reasons why.
A recent study conducted by personal finance website, WalletHub, showed that the Cowboy State ranked 20th overall for "Drug Use by State: 2021's Problem Areas".
According to the WalletHub, the COVID-19 pandemic has only made illegal drug usage an even more prevalent issue. The Study stated:
There were over 88,000 drug overdose deaths in 2020, up around 27% from the previous year.
The study is even more disturbing, because of out of all fifty states and the District of Columbia, Wyoming was ranked 49th overall for the "lowest percentage of adult drug users", which is really no surprise, considering we have the smallest population, but we tied for 1st place overall for the "most drug arrest per capita" (tied with South Dakota). The Cowboy State also scored dead last (51st overall), for the "lowest percentage of adults with unmet drug-treatment needs".
While this particular study didn't go into the individual illegal substances that these problem areas suffer from, we know that methamphetamine is a major issue throughout the state.
Here's to hoping that this study will shed more light on the problem, which in turn, will help bring about a solution.