America's #1 Drug Addicted State Borders Massachusetts

A ranking of the unhealthiest states was recently put together by Forbes and a state that borders Massachusetts to the north came in with a substance abuse score of 100.

Vermont is the #1 drug addicted state in the U.S. and Massachusetts comes in at number 12.

The opioid epidemic has hit the state of Vermont particularly hard with stunning numbers and has prompted the government to address the situation with gusto.

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The Opioid Epidemic

Vermont has a population of about 645,000 people and has shown an increase of about 7% over the last decade. The state scores very healthy in all other categories but scores the highest in drug use per capita.

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In Vermont, the number of deaths due to opioid overdose has increased almost 500% in the last 10 years. The synthetic opioid, fentanyl, which is 50 times stronger than heroin, has been a driving force in the increase of overdoses.-healthvermont.gov

People in Vermont also drink like fish. Vermont is the #2 state in the country when it comes to alcohol consumption, with drinkers averaging 49.4 gallons a year.

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