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Substance use in Ohio and Kentucky

DATA INFOGRAPHICDATA TABLES

Communities throughout Ohio and Kentucky have mobilized to address substance use, enacting a variety of strategies to reduce opioid overdoses and connect people to treatment. To better measure the impact of this work and to understand attitudes around addiction and treatment, the 2019 Ohio Health Issues Poll and 2019 Kentucky Health Issues Poll asked several questions about substance use.

By asking respondents whether they have a friend or family member who has had a problem with a particular substance, the surveys attempt to measure the impact on the community and changes in usage. In 2019, the polls found that:

• 38% of Kentucky adults and 33% of Ohio adults have a friend or family member who had problems from using prescription drugs.
• 20% of Kentucky adults and 24% of Ohio adults have a friend or family member who had problems from using heroin.
• 22% of Kentucky adults and 16% of Ohio adults have a friend or family member who had problems from using methamphetamine.

View an infographic of the data here.

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