Michigan is widely known for its forests and breathtaking coastlines, as well as the Great Lakes. As such, it offers many opportunities for exciting outdoor sports. However, the state also struggles with a substance abuse and addiction crisis that has been devastating as well as claiming lives among its residents.
The most common substances of abuse that are mentioned by people enrolled in an addiction treatment program in the state include marijuana, cocaine, alcohol, heroin, and other opioid drugs.
In particular, meth is among the leading causes of substance related overdoses and crimes in the state. From 2007 to 2009, for instance, the total rate of meth lab seizures rose by about 290 percent.
In the same way, the state reports rates of drug related overdose deaths that are higher than those at the national level. Further, there are many more fatal outcomes linked to drugs than there are associated with firearm accidents and motor vehicle incidents.
That said, the drugs that are most commonly abused in Michigan include but are not limited to marijuana, cocaine, meth, heroin, prescription opioid medications, and hydrocodone.
This is not exactly surprising especially considering that the state is located centrally between the drug trafficking regions in and around Montreal, Toronto, New York, and Chicago. It is also surrounded by highways and large water bodies - making it one of the leading transportation centers for drugs such as heroin, marijuana, and cocaine.
The region around Detroit has also experienced an increase in the rates of stimulant and heroin abuse. This is even though the state has witnessed a decrease of 22 percent in the rates of opioid prescription medication abuse from 2015 to 2018 according to the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.
Compared to the rest of the United States, Michigan is in the 12th position in terms of the highest rates of illicit drug use in the last month - for the period from 2013 to 2014. It is also ranked in the 10th position for the rates of drug use overall.
Although the rates of opioid drug abuse in the state have been declining for several years, the total number of deaths linked to this class of intoxicating substances has been rising. Most of them are associated with the growing opioid epidemic being witnessed in other parts of the United States.
For instance, drug overdoses were responsible for the largest number of total accidental fatalities in Michigan for 2015. This number was 13 times high that which was reported in 1999 - and the trend continued all the way into 2016.
In particular, the state experienced 1 death for every segment of 100,000 people in 1999. This rate increased to 13.2 deaths in 2015 and 18.5 deaths in 2016 for a similar segment of the local population.
With so many drug related problems and deaths, it is not surprising that the state has a number of high quality addiction treatment and rehabilitation centers. These facilities provide licensed and accredited recovery programs and services in Michigan and can help local residents achieve long term health and sobriety.