Ohio Ranks 6th in Nation for Painkiller Misuse, Study Shows

Columbus, OH – Recent findings indicate that Ohio ranks within the top 10 states for the highest number of residents engaging in painkiller abuse.

The Department of Health and Human Services reports that the nation is currently facing a crisis involving opioid overdoses. The crisis is driven by the improper use of painkillers, involving the consumption of prescription medications in ways that deviate from medical guidelines.

An analysis conducted by the addiction resource website Find Recovery reveals the states with the highest rates of painkiller misuse among individuals aged 12 and older, based on data from 2021 to 2022. The data was obtained from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration.

Ohio and Maryland rank jointly for the sixth highest prevalence of pain reliever misuse in the country, with 3.57% of their populations indicating abuse of pain medication.

“Pain killer addiction is a severe epidemic in the U.S.; a reported 9.5 million people abuse opioids, with 98% of them using prescription painkillers as their drug of choice,” said Serene Gatto, lead contributor at Find Recovery.

Tennessee leads the nation with the highest rate of painkiller misuse, affecting 4.01% of its population.

Arkansas ranks second in the nation for the misuse of pain relievers, with a rate of 3.92%. Nevada secured the third position with a rate of 3.79%, followed closely by Louisiana at fourth with 3.75%. Alabama came in fifth at 3.74%, while New York ranked seventh with 3.49%. Missouri took the eighth spot at 3.40%, Mississippi followed at ninth with 3.30%, and Virginia rounded out the top ten at 3.29%.

The states with the lowest rates of pain medication misuse in the nation included Nebraska (2.39%), Florida (2.52%), Idaho (2.53%), Maine (2.63%), Michigan (2.68%), Connecticut (2.74%), Iowa (2.82%), Minnesota (2.83%), Illinois (2.84%), and Washington (2.84%).

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