State Estimates of Nonmedical Use of Prescription Pain Relievers

Misuse of prescription drugs is second only to marijuana as the Nation's most prevalent illicit drug problem. This report highlights State estimates of the nonmedical use and misuse of prescription pain relievers. This report presents 2010 to 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) estimates of past year nonmedical use of pain relievers among persons aged 12 or older in each of the 50 States and the District of Columbia. Combined 2010 and 2011 data indicate that the rate of past year nonmedical use of prescription pain relievers among those aged 12 or older was 4.6 percent nationally and ranged from 3.6 percent in Iowa to 6.4 percent in Oregon. Of the 10 States with the highest rates of past year nonmedical use of prescription pain relievers in 2010 and 2011, 7 were in the West region; of the 10 States with the lowest rates, 4 were in the Midwest region, and 4 were in the Southern region. Comparisons of combined 2009 and 2010 data with combined 2010 and 2011 data showed that past year nonmedical use of prescription pain relievers among persons aged 12 or older decreased in 10 States and did not increase in any State. These findings suggest that efforts to reduce the nonmedical use of pain relievers have resulted in some progress, although this progress has not been uniform across all States.