In a dark alley, a man takes his last breath as a syringe falls out of his pocket; another American dream has died in the top 20 most addicted, drug infested cities in America in 2017.
Deaths from drug overdoses and drug abuses have been a way of life in America; they are often easily available, and despite stringent penalties for possession and sale, little achievements have been made other than condemning people with a few grams of marijuana to life in prison. This is going on in 2017 when we are in possession of enough facts to know that the best way forward is the legalization of marijuana, which will regulate the industry, destroy drug mafias and earn billions in taxes. Further, this will allow people with a drug problem to come forward and get the help they need, instead of being ostracized which in turn leads to them hiding their habit.
As mentioned earlier, drugs have always been a way of life for a large percentage of the population in the US, with Vermont being the one of the most drug addicted states. I may be making it sound like drugs are the major problem only in the US. It is, of course, a worldwide problem, but many countries don’t even carry out studies to determine the extent of drug abuse. That’s why it is next to impossible to decide on the worst drug cities in the world or the most drug addicted cities in the world. However, considering Afghanistan produces most of the opium and heroin in the world, it would be perhaps appropriate to call it the drug capital of the world in 2015.
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Even if we return to the United States though, there aren’t significant studies on this topic which would create a clear and complete picture regarding the places with the most drugs. After all, it is quite hard to determine the presence of something which is illegal, and hence, its owners will go to any lengths to hide their complicity in this regard. What is surprising though, is that when I was conducting my research, the name of New York popped up much less than I thought it would. New York has a long history of being associated with drugs and partying, but apparently, that’s simply because the population is so large, it skews our perceptions. If you want to learn about the most drug addicted cities in NY, you should head on over to this article, which shows New York counties with the highest and lowest rate of drug-related diagnosis in newborns.
That is not to say that the US does not have a drug problem. Even before the recent opioid epidemic, we’ve had some informal drug capitals of the US, which include the likes of Espanola and Missoula. Of course, now, the scenario has completely changed due to the opioid epidemic which has taken the country by storm. In 2015, on average, 91 people died every single day due to opioid abuse. That statistic in itself is mind-boggling. Opioids are now responsible for more than 60% of the total deaths from overdose in the US. If you want to learn more about the states primarily responsible read our article – 10 states with the highest opioid abuse rates.
Thus, it is perhaps no surprise that opioid plays an important, almost integral role in our rankings. Our list is based purely on the most addicted, drug infested cities in America in 2017. If you want to learn about the most dangerous cities, head on over to the 35 worst, most dangerous, ghettoest cities in America in 2017 ranked by FBI. As said previously, information in this regard was hard to come by. After scouring the web, we came across a study by Arrest Records which showed the overdose deaths in the major cities of America. However, the latest data are from 2014. Since the more recent data is not available, at least when we talk about cities, feel free to check out WalletHub’s article on drug abuse by the state in 2017. So, for our list of top 20 most addicted, drug infested cities in America in 2017 we used both the total number of deaths by drug overdoses as well as the overdose rate of each city, obtained from the study mentioned above. Let’s take a look at the cities which are costing America $20 billion a year.
20. Bakersfield
Bakersfield has always had a history with drugs. While currently, it’s the opioid crisis, a little while, ago it was methamphetamine which is why it was considered the ‘armpit of California.’
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19. Manchester
The police are trying to help in curbing drugs in Manchester, as indicated by a drug bust which resulted in the seizure of tens of thousands of dollars of drugs.
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18. Louisville
Louisville, the next one on the list of top 20 most addicted, drug infested cities in America in 2017 is not a small player in the drug game. In fact, Mexican cartels control its street, which is an indicator of how serious a problem the city is facing. If action is not taken soon, the problem may further escalate.
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17. Akron
You know how you realize your city may have a drug problem? When you find various hard drugs and a ton of cash in a car sitting outside a restaurant. However, recently Akron indicted 33 for selling various drugs, which included heroin. Maybe the streets will be slightly cleaner in some time.
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16. Toledo
We are continuing our list of top 20 most addicted, drug infested cities in America in 2017 with Toledo that has seen more than a hundred die of overdoses recently. However, realizing that it has a problem, the city has started to go after the criminals, resulting in over a dozen men being arrested and a major drug pipeline being shut down, which was responsible for the distribution of cocaine.
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15. Salt Lake City
Utah is a very conservative state. Drugs, alcohol and underage sex are greatly discouraged and frowned upon, especially when compared with the rest of the city. Despite this stance, and recently a ‘heroin tsunami’ has swept the state, which has dramatically affected Salt Lake City, which in turn has led to a high rate of deaths from overdosing.
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14. Cleveland
Heroin and fentanyl are the poisons of choice in this city, which is why it is one of the most addicted, drug infested cities in America in 2017.
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13. Knoxville
Knoxville’s drug problem is not a recent one, and even as recently as 2016, it was considered to be one of the most drug addicted cities in all of America.
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12. Milwaukee
Here’s an attempt to try and understand the drug problem currently present in Milwaukee that ranks 12th on our list of top 20 most addicted, drug infested cities in America in 2017. In a nationwide operation conducted last month, 19 people were arrested in Milwaukee, and more than a million bucks in cash were seized as well.
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11. Indianapolis
Another city which is greatly suffering from a drug problem, the authorities are taking action to end the drug rings established in the city, which include the recent arrest of 10 men, allowing the authorities to put an end to a major drug ring in the city.
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10. Albuquerque
Breaking Bad did not exaggerate when it showed the drug abuse is present in Albuquerque, the next city on the list of top 20 most addicted, drug infested cities in America in 2017. If anything, it understated the issue. A large number of the population lives in poverty, and drugs have been a gateway to happiness, however temporary and dangerous it may be.
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9. Pittsburgh
More than 300 people lost their lives due to overdose in Pittsburgh, which is an alarming statistic indeed. In fact, new dangerous drugs are making an appearance in the city, perhaps due to the popularity of drugs there.
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8. New Bedford
Some minor breakthroughs have been reached in New Bedford that ranks 8th on the list of top 20 most addicted, drug infested cities in America in 2017, which has one of the highest deaths by overdose rates in the country. Recently, police arrested four people and seized thousands of dollars in cash as well.
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7. Birmingham
This tiny city has seen over 200 people die due to drug overdoses, even though the city has many rehab centers aimed to reduce the dependence of drugs by some of the addicts.
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6. Cincinnati
When you can discuss over 10 kilos of what seems to be cocaine from the ceiling of a hotel, it is generally quite safe to assume that there is a drug problem you need to be aware of.
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5. Detroit
Everyone knew that Detroit would make a list of top 20 most addicted, drug infested cities in America in 2017. The city has long since been the haunt of gangs, and violence is almost second nature to the city. The only thing perhaps more common than violence in Detroit is drugs. Drug wars have taken place in the city which have resulted in the deaths of dozens of gang members. On a more positive note, the feds in Detroit recently busted a multimillion-dollar drug ring.
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4. Warren
In an effort to combat the rise of drug use in the city that ranks 4th on our list of top 20 most addicted, drug infested cities in America in 2017, which has claimed over 250 lives, Warren residents have been offered a cash reward of $500 if they are willing to snitch on drug dealers.
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3. Baltimore
Popularized by The Wire, Baltimore’s drug problem is decades old and yet still, is no closer to a solution. Over 270 people lost their lives to drug overdoses in Baltimore, which is a sobering statistic indeed.
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2. Dayton
Dayton has the highest overdose death rate in the entire country and is the reason why Ohio has one of the highest overdose death rates in the country.
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1. Philadelphia
Topping the list of the top 20 most addicted, drug infested cities in America in 2017 is Philadelphia, where an astounding 527 people have died from drug overdose. The amount of work needed to curb the growth of drug use is immense, and at present, little seems to have been done to ensure this is not repeated.
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