Shocking NH Data: Teen to Young Men Cocaine, Opioid Fatal Overdoses Highest in U.S.

A new compilation of information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Overdoses Visualized,” shows what we all already know – that drug abuse, especially with opioid prescription drugs, heroin, and fentanyl – have increased significantly during the last few years. However, across 15 years, according to a study released by drugabuse.com, the data shows that younger generations in New Hampshire are being hit the hardest, with the situation being described as “dire.”

According to the data, across the country, overdose deaths have increased by about 137 percent since 2000, with legal, controlled substances, causing a large portion of the overdoses. So much so that in 2014, according to the study, more people in the United States died from overdoses than vehicle or firearm accidents.

Heroin overdoses were generally most prevalent in New England, particularly in the 25-34 and 35-44 male age demographics.

In two categories – cocaine and methadone/opioids, for males in the 15-24 age category, New Hampshire led the nation with the highest overdose rates. The highest categories for women in New Hampshire were the 35-44 and 45-54 age demographics in the methadone/opioids category, with fatalities coming in at about the national average. Most of the other age group categories as well as overdose categories – stimulants, alcohol, heroin, and benzodiazepines – were either average or below average nationally in New Hampshire.

Read the full study at drugabuse.com.