By Shannon Taylor
MVP Regional Senior Investigative Reporter
In data taken by WalletHub from 2018-2023, it showed that Tennessee ranks at number 11 nationwide as a state with the biggest drug problem.
Tennessee also ranked as one of the lowest in percentages of teenage drug users at number 47 on the list with 5.7 percent of teenagers using illicit drugs. However, Tennessee ranked one of the highest - number 4 - with the percentage of teenagers who were offered, sold, or given an illegal drug on school property at 28.1.
Tennessee also ranked high for the percentage of opioids prescribed per 100 people, the number of overdose deaths per capita and drug arrests per capita. In all three categories, Tennessee ranked third in the nation.
The state ranked 17th for its number of teenagers who tried marijuana before age 13. It was ranked 39th for the number of adults who used an illicit drug within the past month. The state also ranked among the highest in the nation at 13th for its number of children who lived with someone who had a drug or alcohol problem. Tennessee came in at number one for its number of drug laboratories or dumpsites, according to the WalletHub study.
The number of Tennessee’s overdose deaths grew at a rate of nearly 22 percent, ranking it 16th in the nation. Tennessee ranked 13th for drug arrests on college campuses per 1,000 students. The state was listed at number one in the nation for its maternity drug policy and 20th among states with employee drug-testing laws.
Due to the share of adults who couldn’t get treatment for illicit drug use in the past year, the state ranked 29th. States were also categorized by their number of substance-abuse facilities per 100,000 illicit-drug users. Tennessee ranked 31st. The state ranked 27th for its number of admissions to substance-abuse treatment services per 1,000 illicit-drug users.
Tennessee ranked 25th for drug-treatment programs availability for pregnant women. It ranks 18th for its share of Medicaid beneficiaries treated for substance-use disorders. In looking at the number of narcotics anonymous and alcoholics anonymous meetings’ accessibility, the state ranked 18th. Tennessee ranked 11th for its number of substance-abuse and behavioral-disorder counselors per capita.
While drug use has a long history in the United States and the war against drugs has been ongoing since the 1970’s, despite the country’s best efforts, the drug problem is still prevalent and killing people by the thousands.
As the government deals with the changing landscape of drug use, with fentanyl a key player and imported newer versions of deadlier, Narcan-resistant fentanyl, it remains to be seen how the government, local law enforcement agencies, court systems and other resources are combating the ever-growing and changing issue on their hands.
