Colorado Tops U.S. in Cocaine Use…Again

This marks the second time in three years that Colorado tops the country in admitted cocaine use, according to federal data.

By Thomas Mitchell

September 24, 2024

Does Colorado have a cocaine problem? Flickr/Coast Guard News

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Colorado has bumped itself back into the nation's top spot for admitted cocaine use, according to the latest data from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The administration's 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health listed Colorado as the number-one state for cocaine consumption among adults, with an estimated 3.06 percent of residents ages eighteen and older admitting to using cocaine within the past year. According to state rankings shared by Addiction Treatment magazine, that puts Colorado cocaine use above East Coast powderhouses likes Vermont, Rhode Island and Massachusetts — and even California, which ranked fifth at 2.51 percent of the state's adult population.

This marks the second time in three years that Colorado tops the country in cocaine sniffing, though rankings can fluctuate significantly: Colorado took the top spot in SAMHSA's 2020 survey but fell to twentieth in 2021 before reclaiming the very un-coveted title again in 2022.

The same year Colorado took back its number-one ranking in admitted cocaine use, the state was eighteenth in reported drug overdoses, according to the national Centers for Disease Control, at nearly thirty drug overdose deaths per 100,000 people in 2022.

Although Colorado ranked around the middle in drug overdoses in 2022, the state Department of Public Health and Environment has reported a steady rise in overdose deaths caused by fentanyl, a cheap, potent and deadly synthetic opioid that is often added to recreational drugs like cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. According to the CDPHE, Colorado went from 222 fentanyl-related deaths in 2019 to 920 in 2022.

This article to was update to correct in error in reporting on overdose data.

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Thomas Mitchell has been the news editor of Westword since February 2024. He's been with the publication since 2017 and was formerly its cannabis editor. He’s earned numerous awards and accolades for his work, including placing second for the Marijuana Enterprise Reporting Award from the Colorado Society of Professional Journalists in 2018; being named a Top Cannabis Journalist by Leafbuyer in 2020; and placing first for the College Sports Writing Award from the Arizona Press Club in 2014. His prior work experience includes Arizona Republic, Inman News and Fox Sports.

Contact: Thomas Mitchell

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