While alcohol is the most commonly abused substance in Florida, due to the state’s prime location near South and Central America, Florida is hotbed for narcotics trafficking” leading to high rates of abuse for both cocaine and heroin. Prescription drug abuse is also a growing problem, becoming the leading “Pill Mill” state in 2010.
COCAINE USE
- From 2005 to 2006, 390,000 Floridians report using cocaine
- 45% of all drug court cases involve cocaine
- In July 2013, the Coast Guard intercepted an estimated $35 million dollars worth of cocaine.
The total haul” 2300 pounds” is one of the state’s largest drug busts
PRESCRIPTION DRUG USE
- 777,000 citizens in Florida reported using prescription drugs for non-medical purposes
- According to the Florida Medical Examiner, five people die each day as a direct result of prescription drug abuse
- In 2006, 731 deaths were caused by hydrocodone abuse, and this death toll has only increased over the last five years
- Doctors in Florida prescribe 10 times more Oxycodone than doctors in every other state combined
OTHER DRUG USE
- In 2006, 67 deaths occurred because of MDMA; four deaths were related to the party drug GHB
- Florida made headlines in 2012 when a man who was allegedly high on bath salts attacked a homeless man and chewed off 75% of his face in a fit of zombie-like cannibalism
DRUG REHABILITATION
- In 2009, there were 79,322 admissions to alcohol and drug rehabilitation centers in Florida
- 62% of individuals admitted into rehab were male
- 38% of individuals admitted into rehab were female
