Nevada Addiction Statistics

Nevada has faced challenges with substance abuse for decades. In 2022, the state reported that approximately 24% of adults used illicit drugs like methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl to cope with alcohol addiction.

While the government has made efforts to diffuse the situation, substance misuse is a growing health and social crisis throughout the state. Let’s take a look at how drug addiction is touching every household in Nevada. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• In 2022, 23.6% of adults aged 18 and older in Nevada used illicit drugs in the past month.
• Among adults aged 12 or older in Nevada, alcohol use in the past month was 47.8%, similar to the national average, while binge alcohol use was higher at 23.4%.
• Marijuana use among Nevadans aged 12 or older in 2022 was 28.3%, higher than the national average.
• Hallucinogen use in Nevada was 4.4%, methamphetamine use was 2.2%, and cocaine use was 1.8% in 2022.
• The prevalence of substance use disorder (SUD) among individuals aged 12 or older in Nevada was 20.9%, with drug use disorder at 12.7%.
• The rate of opioid use disorder (OUD) among Nevadans aged 12 or older in 2022 was similar to the national average of 2.0%.
• In 2021, 30.2% of Nevada high school students and 7.9% of middle school students reported marijuana use.
• The annual prevalence of cocaine use among Nevada high school students in 2021 was 1.2% for 12th grade, 0.6% for 10th grade, and 0.2% for 8th grade.
• Drug overdose deaths in Nevada increased by 19% from 2022 to 2023, with 1,352 deaths recorded in 2023.
• There were 904 opioid-related overdoses in Nevada in 2023—a 28% increase from the previous year—with psychostimulant-related overdose deaths also rising by 74%.

General Insights 

Here is an overview of the prevalence of drug addiction in Nevada:

• In 2022, 23.6% of adults aged 18 and older in Nevada used illicit drugs in the past month, according to the Behavioral Health Barometer for Region 9 released in 2024. This is higher than the national annual average (16.3%). 

• In 2022, the drug mortality rate in Nevada was 30.3 per 100,000. 
• In 2022, 4.5% of adults aged 18 and older reported using illicit drugs other than marijuana in the past month. 
• In Nevada, 4.2% (or 1.3 million) of adults engaged in opioid misuse in 2022, which is higher than the national average of 3.4%. 
• Around 4.6% (1.7 million) of Nevadans used hallucinogens in the past year in 2022.
• Between 2021 and 2022, 2.4% of Nevada adults aged 18 and older used methamphetamine, while 1.9% (800,000) used cocaine in the past year, slightly above the national average of 2.0%.
• In 2022, 7.5 million (21.6%) Nevadans experienced a substance use disorder (SUD) in the past year, which is higher than the national average of 17.8%. 
• In Nevada, 12.8% (5 million) of adults had a drug use disorder (DUD), while 2.1% (736,000) had an opioid use disorder (OUD) in the past year. 

• Between 2020 and 2023, the Southern Nevada Health District documented a 97% increase in overdose deaths among Clark County residents involving the combined use of fentanyl with methamphetamine or cocaine, with the number of deaths rising from 73 to 144. 
• According to the Behavioral Health Wellness and Prevention 2022 Epidemiologic Profile released in 2023, there were a total of 69,452 emergency department visits related to alcohol and drugs in 2021. Of these, 15,550 encounters were primarily due to alcohol, while 10,704 were primarily drug-related. 
• In 2021, Nevada’s age-adjusted rate for drug-related deaths was 28.5 per 100,000, marking the highest rate from 2012 to 2021. The rate of drug-related deaths was also significantly higher among males (38.3 per 100,000) compared to females (20.3 per 100,000).
• In 2021, there were 54,385 hospital admissions related to alcohol and drugs in Nevada, with 21,084 admissions for alcohol and 33,301 for drugs.
• The prevalence of alcohol use disorder among adults in Nevada increased from 6.0% in 2019 to 10.2% in 2020.
• In 2021, men in Nevada had a significantly higher death rate due to alcohol and drug consumption, at 93.0 per 100,000 population, compared to females, who had a rate of 40.5 per 100,000 population.
• The age groups 55-64 and 65-74 had the highest death rates in 2021, with 145.6 and 134.0 deaths per 100,000 population, respectively, significantly higher than all other age groups.

• In 2022, among people aged 12 or older in Nevada, alcohol use in the past month was similar to the national average at 47.8% (20 million), while binge alcohol use was higher than the national average at 23.4% (10 million).
• According to the Behavioral Health Barometer for Region 9, marijuana use in 2022 among Nevadans aged 12 or older was higher than the national average at 28.3%, while opioid misuse stood at 4.0%, exceeding the national average of 3.3%.
• In Nevada, hallucinogen use was higher than the national average at 4.4% (2 million), methamphetamine use at 2.2%, and cocaine use was similar to the national average at 1.8% in 2022.
• In 2022, the prevalence of SUD among individuals aged 12 or older in Nevada was higher than the national average at 20.9%, with drug use disorder at 12.7%.
• The rate of OUD among Nevadans aged 12 or older in 2022 was similar to the national average of 2.0% (800,000). 
• In 2022, 3.53% of people aged 18 to 25 used cocaine in Nevada, which is higher compared to the national annual average (1.79%).

• In 2022, 0.38% of Nevadans aged 18 and above used heroin, followed by 0.46% by people above 26, and 0.16% by those aged 18-25, according to the 2021-2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. 

Nevada Youth Drug Addiction Statistics

Youths are more susceptible to drug addiction as they may not be aware of the dangers of drugs. Let’s look at how drug addiction affects youths in Nevada: 

• In 2022, 9.1% of Nevada youths aged 12 to 17 used illicit drugs in the past month. 15.9% used marijuana, which is higher than the national annual average of 11.2%.

• About 2.0% (75,000) of Nevada youths misused opioids in 2022, higher than the national average of 1.8%. 
• In 2022, 2.6% (100,000) used hallucinogens in the past year, which is similar to the national average of 1.4%. 
• Between 2021 and 2022, 0.16% (7,400) of Nevada youths aged 12 to 17 used methamphetamine in the past year—higher than the national annual average (0.10%). However, cocaine use in the same age group was lower than the national average at 0.11% (4,230) in the past year.
• In 2022, 14.1% (562,433) of Nevada adolescents had an SUD in the past year, significantly higher than the national average of 9.0%.  
• The prevalence of DUD among Nevada youths rose to 11.6% (461,000) in 2022. This is very high compared to the national average of 7.2%.
• Between 2021 and 2022, 1.2% (50,100) of Nevada youths aged 12 to 17 had an OUD in the past year. This was similar to the national annual average (1.0%).
• Between 2012 and 2021, amphetamine use among 12th graders declined from 7.9% to 2.3%, according to the Behavioral Health Wellness and Prevention 2022 Epidemiologic Profile released in 2023.  

• Between 2012 and 2021, 38% of 12th graders and 30% of 10th graders reported using illicit drugs in any form. 
• The use of illicit drugs saw a decline across all grade levels from 2020 to 2021. Among 12th graders, the prevalence dropped from 36.8% to 32.0%, while for 10th graders, it decreased from 30.4% to 18.7%. Among 8th graders, the prevalence went down from 15.6% to 10.2%.
• Approximately 3% of the surveyed grades in the 2022 Nevada Behavioral Health Epidemiologic Profile reported using hallucinogens between 2012 and 2021.
• The annual prevalence of cocaine use averaged 1.2% for 12th grade, 0.6% for 10th grade, and 0.2% for 8th grade in 2021.
• In 2021, marijuana use was reported by 30.2% of Nevada high school students and 7.9% of middle school students.
• According to the 2022 Nevada Behavioral Health Epidemiologic Profile, the use of marijuana in the past 30 days among Nevadans was 18.2% in 2021.

Effects of Addiction in Nevada

Let’s look at the consequences of substance abuse and addiction in Nevada.

• According to the CDC’s Monthly Provisional Drug Overdose Death Counts report, there were 1,127 drug overdose deaths in Nevada in 2022, with this number rising to 1,352 in 2023. This is an increase of 19% from last year. 

• In 2023, there were 904 opioid-related overdoses in Nevada, with the lowest 12-month rate seen in January (703). This is a 28% increase in one year. 
• Between 2020 and 2023, the rate of opioid overdoses in Nevada rose by 123%, from 404 in January 2020 to 904 in December 2023. 
• In Nevada, 65 people died from a heroin overdose, while 158 passed away as a result of a cocaine overdose in 2023. 
• In 2023, there were 773 overdose deaths caused by the use of psychostimulants like methamphetamine in Nevada. This is up from 442 in 2020—a 74% increase. 
• Out of a total of 29,882 deaths reported in Nevada, 192 were caused by natural and semi-synthetic opioids, 36 by methadone, and 746 by synthetic opioids (excluding methadone) in 2023.
• The number of heroin overdose deaths decreased from 145 in 2020 to 65 in 2023 in Nevada. This shows a 55% decrease. 
• Among the 768 total drug overdose deaths of unintentional or undetermined intent among Nevada residents in 2021, 68.3% were female, while 31.7% were male. Each age group represented roughly 20% of the total deaths. 

• Opioids were involved in over half of the 768 overdose deaths in 2021, with prescription opioids seen in about 21% of cases, heroin in approximately 20%, and fentanyl in about 16%. Methamphetamine was involved in over half of the deaths reported.
• In 2021, 33% of the people who died from drug overdose had a documented mental health issue before death, 9% had a history of prior overdose, and 8% had been recently released from a hospital before their death.
• Approximately 34% of the unintentional or undetermined overdose deaths in 2021 involved individuals who had a current mental health problem, and 28% had received mental health treatment. 
• Of the 768 overdose deaths in 2021, opioids were listed as the cause in 63.5% of cases, while methamphetamine was listed in 51.9% of cases. Other drugs accounted for the following: 

FAQs 

What Is the Substance Abuse Rate in Nevada?

According to the Behavioral Health Barometer, 23.6% of adults aged 18 and older in Nevada used illicit drugs in the past month in 2022.

4.2% (or 1.3 million) of Nevadans engaged in opioid misuse, 4.6% used hallucinogens, and 2.4% used methamphetamine in 2022. 

Mental health in Nevada plays a major role in the widespread substance abuse in the state.

What Is the Overdose Rate in Nevada?

The overdose rate in Nevada is 30.3 per 100,000 population as per the CDC. A provisional report by the CDC reported 1,352 overdose deaths in Nevada in 2023. This is an increase of 19% from 2022.  

Are Drugs Illegal in Nevada?

No. However, drug-related crimes like the unlawful possession of drugs, narcotics, or controlled substances without a valid prescription are treated as felonies in Nevada, whether these substances are intended for distribution or personal use. 

Nevada law charges drug possession cases as category D or E felonies, which have fines of up to $20,000 and four years of prison time. 

Data Sources