Vermont Drug Statistics

Vermont is the beautiful home of the Vermontasaurus, the Bread and Puppet Theatre, folk art festivals and the captivating Green Mountains. This unique state inhabits a strong sense of community, cherishes education and has some of the healthiest constituents in the nation. When drug addiction or alcoholism seeps into one’s life, however, it can be easy to lose the values and morals that are engrained within. Don’t lose hope. Palm Partners Recovery Center is here to provide the helping hand one needs to overcome their chemical dependency. Our professional staff develops personalized programs to suit every individual client’s needs for the most effective results. Contact us today. Our addiction specialists are standing by and will be delighted to assist you.

Data shows that those 18-25 particularly need – and aren’t receiving – drug and alcohol detox and rehab in Vermont. If you’re using and abusing, call Palm Partners Addiction Detox and Rehab now for immediate help: 802-232-4241. Get into the right facility and transform your life. Our professionals are standing by, 24/7.

What you should know

Marijuana, domestic and imported, is the most widely abused drug in Vermont. The border terrain is remote, allowing drug traffickers easy access to metropolitan areas in Canada and Vermont.

Compared to other states

• Illicit drugs overall – among the highest for those 18 and older
• Cocaine – among the highest for those 18 and older
• Marijuana – among the highest for those 18 and older
• Alcohol – among the highest for those 18-25, average for those 26 and older
• Pharmaceuticals – moderately high for those 18-25, moderately low for those 26 and older

Source: SAMHSA’s most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health, based on 2008-2009 annual averages. SAMHSA is the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

A closer look

Marijuana

Drug of choice and widely available. Medicinal marijuana is legal. The marijuana smuggled into Vermont from Canada often is carried in backpacks across remote areas. Canada-based organizations also transport hydroponically grown marijuana across the border for distribution in Vermont and in Massachusetts, New York and other states. Marijuana also comes in from the Southwest via automobiles, campers and tractor-trailers. Additionally, marijuana is cultivated locally in small outdoor plots and small indoor grows.

Alcohol

A very significant problem.

Cocaine

Readily available and widely abused. Cocaine traffickers in Vermont, most often Caucasians, obtain the drug from source areas in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York. The drug is transported mainly in passenger vehicles and distributed in bars in urban areas. Crack cocaine has limited availability, although the drug is seen in Rutland and Barre. African Americans transport the drug from New York and Massachusetts and then distribute it.

Pharmaceuticals

OxyContin a threat. So, too, are Vicodin, fentanyl, oxycodone and hydrocodone products, methadone, Ritalin, Xanax and diazepam. Sources are the illegal sale and distribution by health care professionals and workers, “doctor shopping,” forged prescriptions, employee theft, pharmacy theft and the internet.

Heroin

Widespread availability in small quantities. A typical heroin distributor in Vermont is a heroin user who distributes the drug in order to support his/her addiction. Individuals drive to source areas in Massachusetts and New York.

Club drugs

MDMA (Ecstasy) available. Other drugs such as GHB and ketamine are not widely available. However, in Burlington, LSD, LSA, PCP and psilocybin mushrooms are seen.

Methamphetamine

Not a significant problem. Although it’s not readily available, meth is escalating in availability in the northern counties. Individuals frequenting popular ski resorts near the Canadian border are transporting the drug back to Vermont.

Percentage of Vermont population using/abusing drugs

¹ Age group is based on a respondent’s age at the time of the interview, not his or her age at first use.

² Illicit Drugs include marijuana/hashish, cocaine (including crack), heroin, hallucinogens, inhalants or prescription-type psychotherapeutics used non-medically. Illicit Drugs Other Than Marijuana include cocaine (including crack), heroin, hallucinogens, inhalants or prescription-type psychotherapeutics used non-medically.

³ When the Perception of Great Risk in using marijuana or alcohol is low, use of marijuana or alcohol is high.

⁴ Binge Alcohol Use is defined as drinking five or more drinks on the same occasion (i.e., at the same time or within a couple of hours of each other) on at least 1 day in the past 30 days.

⁵ Dependence or abuse is based on definitions found in the 4^th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV).

⁶ Needing But Not Receiving Treatment refers to respondents needing treatment for illicit drugs or alcohol, but not receiving treatment at a specialty facility.

⁷ Major Depressive Episode is a period of at least 2 weeks when a person experienced a depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities and had a majority of the symptoms for depression as described in the DSM-IV.

Source: Condensed version of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2004 and 2005, from SAMHSA, Office of Applied Studies.