How Bad Is New York’s Drug Problem Compared to Other States?

You've probably heard of terms such as the war on drugs, or the opioid epidemic when it comes to addressing America's problems with narcotics. As if the issue was bad enough, COVID-19 seems to have only exacerbated the problem as more and more drug overdoses have been reported across the country in just a year's time. According to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, drug overdoses increased by 28.5% from the previous year, ending in April 2021.

But how bad is the drug problem in the New York state? How do we compare to other states?

The Study

WalletHub has put together the statistics, using the data taken from three key categories; 1) Drug Use & Addiction, 2) Law Enforcement and 3) Drug Health Issues & Rehab. These categories contained 21 different metrics.

The Results 

Overall, New York was right around the middle of the pack for drug use. We ranked 28th in the nation, according to the study. If you break it down even further, New York has some of the fewest amounts of opioid prescriptions per 100 people, according to the study. By comparison, Massachusetts was 15th overall, and Vermont 17th. Pennsylvania was 30th, and New Jersey 35th.

Are There Still Towns in the NY That Don't Sell Alcohol?

Kind of hard to believe there are still towns that hold on to old Prohibition-era laws in the year 2022. But they still do exist in some areas across the state. According to a state database's last update, there are at least seven towns in New York state that are still completely dry. You might need Google Maps open to actually find some of these towns, for they are pretty small.

The database lists the towns of Caneadea, Clymer, Lapeer, Orwell, Fremont, and Jasper as being completely dry. The town of Berkshire is also still listed, though Syracuse.com says that they may have loosened some of its laws in recent years. The database also lists about 45 other towns that have partial bans (or, partially dry), where alcohol may be served at restaurants, but perhaps not sold in stores, or vice versa.