Ohio ranks among top 10 states with most painkiller misuse, study finds

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A study has revealed Ohio is among the top 10 states with the most residents who abuse painkillers.

The United States is in the midst of an opioid overdose epidemic, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. The epidemic is fueled by painkiller misuse, or taking prescription drugs in a manner other than what is prescribed.

To discover where painkiller abuse is the most rampant, addiction resource website Find Recovery analyzed the percentage of people 12 years and older who reported misusing pain relievers per state between 2021 and 2022. The statistics were sourced from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration.

Ohio and Maryland tied for having the sixth highest rate of pain reliever misuse in the nation, with 3.57% of the population reporting abusing 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. 

The state with the highest rate of painkiller abuse was Tennessee, with 4.01% of the population misusing medication.

Arkansas has the second highest rate of pain reliever misuse in the country, at 3.92%. Arkansas was followed by Nevada at No. 3 (3.79%), Louisiana at No. 4 (3.75%), Alabama at No. 5 (3.74%), New York at No. 7 (3.49%), Missouri at No. 8 (3.40%), Mississippi at No. 9 (3.30%) and Virginia at No. 10 (3.29%).

The states that had the least pain medication abuse in the country were 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%).