Highest Drug Overdose Counties In Texas

Of all the states in the U.S, Texas is one with the highest drug overdose counties. Back in 2015, around 52000 lives were claimed due to the opioid epidemic. Needless to say, Texas had a high share of these deaths. In this post, we will be breaking down the number of drug overdose deaths per 100,000 people in Texas. This data is an insight into the statistics provided by CDC for the duration between 2014 and 2016.

Let’s have a look at some of these counties:

1. Harris County

Harris County includes the cities Houston, Humble, Cypress, Katy, Pasadena, Tomball, and Spring and has 1384 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 persons. Harris county contains the fourth largest city in the United States and it tops the list of drug overdose deaths in the state of Texas. The use of cocaine and methamphetamine is very high in Texas, claiming 289 deaths in 2016 alone.

2. Dallas County

The drug overdose issue in Dallas has many causes – availability of illegal street drugs, black market painkillers, parent’s cabinets stocked with pills as well as overprescribing doctors. Most of the ‘Driving While Intoxicated cases are now being reported because of drug overdose and not alcohol consumption. Dallas comes next to Harris county, with 949 overdose deaths per 100,000 persons.

3. Bexar County

With the cities of San Antonio, Live Oak, and Alamo Heights, Bexar has reported around 614 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 people. The opioid epidemic hit Bexar so hard in 2017, that the d=federal government had to step in to take a counteractive measure.

4. Tarrant County

Tarrant has 8 cities in its vicinity and has around 592 deaths per 100,000 persons. The massive inflow of faux-fentanyl being sold as heroin is the major cause of the high number of drug overdose deaths in Tarrant.

5. Travis County

This county features only 4 cities and yet has a high drug overdose death rate, with 415 deaths per 100,000. The highest number of deaths are caused by Fentanyl – a drug that can kill with the slightest exposure. Most heroin deaths in this county are caused by accidental overdose. Additionally, careless usage of heroin, too, accounts for a high number of overdose deaths in Travis county.

6. Collin County

Collin County consists of Plano, Allen, McKinney, Frisco, and Celina. The high number of accidental drug overdose cases amongst teenagers is indeed horrifying. A 2016 federal investigation convicted Dr. Randall Wade of McKinney of prescribing over 1.5 million pills of hydrocodone over 28 months. He was responsible for 6 opioid overdose deaths in the area.

7. El Paso County

This country is the hub for drug cartels and acts as a distribution center for the rest of the United States. A high amount of drugs are transported from El Paso to nearby states of Chicago, Boston, and New York City. The opioid and methamphetamine abuse in this county is very high, resulting in 220 overdose deaths per 100,000 persons.

8. Nueces County

Featuring two cities of Corpus Christi and Port Aransas, Nueces has 193 overdose deaths per 100,000 people. There are more opioid-addicted people in this county as compared to any other county. The consequences are so shocking, that the county is now gathering resources to fight back in a potential lawsuit against drug manufacturers.

9. Denton County

Denton is witnessing a rise in drug abuse not just among the homeless, but also amongst youngsters, the middle class as well as the Christian demographic. The commonly abused drugs in these counties are opioids or street alternative heroin. Denton has 178 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 persons.

10. Montgomery County

With the least number of deaths (178 per 100,000 persons), Montgomery witnesses a high rate of drug abuse amongst the elderly as well as youngsters. The former category consumes extra drugs due to forgetfulness, whereas the latter is up for experimentation. This, along with MDMA abuse has led to an increasing number of drug overdose deaths in the county.

Summing Up

The statistics show that drug overdose deaths are increasing in different counties. While it is heartening to see authorities taking active measures to counter drug abuse, it is not going to be an easy task to bring these numbers down quickly. In case of any such incidents, you can consider reaching out to a Denton Drug Defense Attorney for advice and assistance.