The rates of drug addiction and alcoholism have been rising in Kansas. This has happened at similar rates as those seen on the national stage and across the rest of the United States.
The total number of drug overdoses leading to fatal outcomes - especially among young adults and teenagers - in the state has been rising over the years. This has compelled state officials and law enforcement agencies to enact various laws that are designed to provide resources designed to reduce these alarming rates.
The DEA - the Drug Enforcement Administration - has a division in St. Louis, KS that releases data showing the drug trends in the state. According to its report, black tar heroin is currently the main drug threat in Kansas.
The same report shows that the supplies of fentanyl and its analogues, opiates, and heroin continue rising over the years. It has also reported that many people who are addicted to fentanyl have been increasingly using pink or U-47700 as their preferred drug substitute.
All these drugs have caused the opioid epidemic to grow in the state. However, methamphetamine has also been growing in terms of abuse and addiction. This is to such an extent that meth is the biggest drug related problem for the DEA - at least beyond the Kansas City metropolitan area. Apart from meth, cocaine, alcohol, and prescription medications like ADHD stimulant drugs and benzodiazepines are also commonly abused in the state.
However, adults are not the only ones who are negatively affected by the growing rates of substance abuse in the state. The Department for Children and Families, for instance, reported that between 2012 and 2017, there was a 42 percent rise in the total number of children who were removed from their own homes due to drug and alcohol abuse. During this period, the cases of such removal that involved methamphetamine doubled.
Kansas has witnessed a growing problem linked to alcohol abuse - generally across the entire population as well as among young adults and teens in particular. According to the Behavioral Health Profile for the state released in 2015:
Luckily, there are several addiction treatment and rehabilitation centers in the state. These facilities provide highly licensed, accredited, and quality addiction recovery services to people who struggle with substance abuse and addiction. They also ensure that their clients in Kansas get the services and programs that they need to attain a long term lifestyle of productivity, abstinence, health, and wellness.