North Carolina Addiction Statistics
Crack cocaine is the most problematic drug in North Carolina. Crack is available in both rural and urban areas of the state. Patients seeking treatment for crack abuse consist of 14% of admissions to rehabilitation centers in North Carolina.
Marijuana is commonly used in the state, most of which is imported from Mexico, however small indoor growing operations are common throughout the state. Approximately 43% of high school-aged students in North Carolina reported ever having used marijuana, compared with 40% nationally.
Heroin is not very commonly used in North Carolina except for major city centers. Methamphetamine is increasing in popularity and small, home laboratories have been cropping up that produce small amounts of the drug. There has been a spike in meth lab seizures since 2005.
Alcohol use is significantly lower in North Carolina than national rates. Only 44% of adult North Carolina residents report using alcohol casually, compared with 58% nationally. Merely 9.5% of adult residents report binge drinking – much lower than the national rate of 24%. Approximately 5.8% of North Carolina residents abuse or are dependent on alcohol.
Additionally, rates of youth drinking and binge drinking are consistently lower than national averages. Approximately 34% of high school-aged North Carolina residents report having at least one alcoholic beverage in the past 30 days, compared with 39% nationally. Binge drinking rates remain four percentage points lower than national averages at 11.6%.
North Carolina does not have behavioral disorder rates that differ significantly from national rates.