Study Says Michigan Has Top-10 Drug Problem Nationally

Drugs continue to be a problem across the country despite the knowledge we have of their horrible and sometimes deadly side effects. On top of that, the United States has spent over a trillion dollars for half a century to curb the problem to no avail.

Unfortunately, poor communities often struggle with heavy drug use - and Michigan has its fair share of poor communities.

Michigan isn't the worst state for drug use, but it is certainly near the top. A recent study from WalletHub ranked Michigan as the No. 10 state with the biggest drug problem. Washington D.C. did land at No. 4, for what it's worth.

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Still, Michigan wasn't exactly topping the charts in any one category the study looked at to compile the scores to make the ranking.

From WalletHub, Michigan ranked:

• 20^th – Share of Teenagers Who Used Illicit Drugs in the Past Month
• 14^th – Share of Adults Who Used Illicit Drugs in the Past Month
• 11^th – Opioid Pain Reliever Prescriptions per 100 People
• 26^th – Drug Overdose Deaths per Capita
• 21^st – Share of Adults Who Couldn’t Get Treatment for Illicit Drug Use in the Past Year
• 12^th – Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities per 100,000 People (Age 12+) Using Illicit Drugs

Despite not cracking the top 10 in these narrow categories or the broader categories (17th in Drug Use & Addiction, 16th in Law Enforcement, 11th in Drug Health Issues & Rehab), the sum of Michigan's problem is being well below average in every space except overdosses.

Interestingly, there doesn't appear to be much discrepancy if a state has legalized recreational marijuana use. Including Michigan, six of the top 10 states (excluding D.C., Alaska is No. 11) have legal recreational marijuana. However, it is somewhat worth noting that states ranking from No. 12 through 16 do not have legal recreational marijuana.

With 24 states having legal recreational marijuana, the conversation around its stance as a 'gateway drug' is up for debate.

The study also indicates that red states have a bigger problem, with red states ranking at an average ranking of 25.52 and blue states averaging 26.42, though Washington D.C.'s position in that data seems unclear. Further, four of the top five states, including D.C., are blue states, so, at face value, the stats can seem a bit misleading.