Tennessee Drug and Alcohol Addiction Statistics
Tennessee has a significant problem with heroin and prescription drug abuse. Most of the medications that are abused are prescription pain medications (opiates) that are in the same family as heroin. Therefore, people who have become dependent on opiates may turn to heroin due to its considerably lower cost than prescription drugs.
Crack cocaine is also a substantial issue in Tennessee, which was the most problematic illicit drug in the state until heroin took its place. Crack is available throughout the state of Tennessee, most of which is shipped in from states with major transportation hubs, such as Georgia, California, and New York.
Methamphetamine use is not extremely common among Tennesseans, though use is rising. Most meth is made within the state in small home laboratories.
Marijuana is also popular in Tennessee and has been largely grown in the state in recent years. Lifetime marijuana use among teens in Tennessee is slightly lower than national averages.
Across the board, Tennesseans drink less than the rest of Americans. Adults Tennessee residents drink at least one alcoholic beverage per month at a rate of 33% of residents, which is 23 percentage points less than national averages and places them at 49th in the country for alcohol use.
Only 33% of high school-aged Tennesseans reported using alcohol at least once in the past month, compared with 39% nationally. Around 19% of high school students in tennessee have binged drank in the past month, compared with
Tennessee has average rates of behavioral disorders when compared with the rest of the country, including gambling addiction and eating disorders.