Vermont Drug and Alcohol Addiction Statistics


Vermont has one of the highest rates of illicit drug use in the country with over 15% of Vermont residents age 12 or over saying they’ve used drugs in the past month. The most problematic drug used in Vermont is heroin, use of which has risen significantly since 2000. Gangs are not significantly present in Vermont, so the average heroin dealer in the state sells to support their own heroin habit. Heroin purity in Vermont is fairly high, which contributes to the likelihood of overdose deaths.
Marijuana is the most common drug used in Vermont, so much so that Vermont is second int eh country for marijuana use. The majority of marijuana in Vermont is imported from the states to the southwest, but a good amount is also grown within Vermont on both small and large scales. Marijuana has been decriminalized in Vermont and is legal for medicinal use.
Powdered cocaine is also more common in Vermont than other states with 3% of residents age 12 and older reporting cocaine use in the past year. Meth and crack cocaine use is rare.

Vermont is sixth in the state for both casual and heavy drinkers at 65% and 6.3% of the population, respectively. However, the adolescent use rate is lower than that of the rest of the country. Only 15% of Vermont high school students reported having their first drink before age 13, compared with 20% nationally. In addition, 35% of high school students in Vermont reported having at least one drink in the past 30 days, compared with 39% nationally.

Vermont does not have rates of behavioral disorders that vary significantly from national averages.
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