In 2021/2022, the states with the highest share of people who had used cocaine in the past year were Colorado, Vermont, the District of Columbia, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. In Colorado, around 3.06 percent of the population were estimated to have used cocaine in the past year at that time, compared to the U.S. average of 1.95 percent. The states with the lowest past-year cocaine consumption rates were New Hampshire and Wyoming. Cocaine use in the United States As of 2022, cocaine was the second most used illicit drug in the United States, behind marijuana. At that time around 42.2 million people in the U.S. had used cocaine at least once in their lifetime. In comparison, around 29.5 million people reported using LSD in their lifetime and 22.1 million had used ecstasy. In 2022, almost 5.2 million people were estimated to have used cocaine in the past year. How many people in the U.S. die from cocaine every year? The number of drug poisoning deaths involving cocaine has increased significantly over the past couple decades. In 2021, there were around 24,486 overdose deaths involving cocaine, compared to just 3,800 in the year 1999. However, it is important to note that many overdose deaths involving cocaine also involve other drugs, namely opioids. The increase in overdose deaths involving cocaine is directly related to the ongoing opioid epidemic in the United States. Rates of overdose death involving cocaine are twice as high for men than women, but death rates for both men and women have increased in recent years.

In 2023, over ************ people in the United States had used cocaine in the past year. This statistic shows the number of people in the U.S. who have used cocaine in the past year from 2009 to 2023.

In 2023, it was estimated that over ** million people in the United States had used cocaine at some point in their life. The number of people in the United States who stated they had used cocaine in the past month has fluctuated over the past decade, but over *** million people reported they had used cocaine in the past month as of 2023. Cocaine use among teens The percentage of U.S. students in grades *, **, and ** that had used cocaine in their lifetime has gradually decreased since 1999. At that time, around *** percent of students stated they had used cocaine in their lifetime, while in 2021 just *** percent of students said so. Perhaps unsurprisingly, perceived availability of cocaine among **** graders has also decreased over the past couple decades, with about ** percent of **** graders stating cocaine was “fairly easy” or “very easy” to get in 2021, compared to almost ** percent who reported it was easy to get in 1990. The most common illicit drugs U.S. students in grades *, **, and ** reported having used in their lifetime were marijuana, inhalants, and hallucinogens such as LSD and mushrooms. Deaths from cocaine In 2020, there were ****** drug poisoning deaths involving cocaine in the United States. The number of overdose deaths involving cocaine has increased significantly over the past few years as part of the ongoing opioid epidemic. Although, it is possible to die of an overdose just from using cocaine, many overdose deaths in the U.S. that involved cocaine also involved the use of opioids. The rate of overdose deaths involving cocaine is almost ***** times higher among men than women, but both have seen increases in the rate of overdose death in recent years. Considering race and ethnicity, the rate of overdose deaths involving cocaine is by far highest among black, non-Hispanics and lowest among Asian/Pacific Islander, non-Hispanics.

According to the latest estimates there were around ** million cocaine users worldwide with the highest number found in the Americas. Cocaine is made from the leaves of the coca plant and is an addictive stimulant that is usually snorted as a powder. Although it is illegal in most countries it is still commonly used recreationally. Cocaine worldwide It is estimated that up to *** percent of the global population has used cocaine in the past year. With so many users it is unsurprising that the illegal cocaine market is extremely lucrative. Worldwide illicit cultivation of cocaine covers some *** thousand hectares, with most of the world’s cocaine produced in South America. Cocaine in the United States According to the most recent figures around **** million people in the United States had used cocaine in the previous year. Moreover, around **** million Americans have used cocaine at some point in their lifetime. In 2021, there were around ****** deaths involving cocaine in the United States, a significant rise from previous years. However, it is important to note that a large portion of deaths from cocaine involve the use of other drugs, specifically opioids.

Marijuana is by far the most used illicit drug in the United States, with over 61 million people using this drug in 2023. The second most used drug at that time was cocaine, followed by methamphetamine and ecstasy. The United States has had a complicated history with drugs, from fighting a “War on Drugs” starting in the 1970s, to seeing the legalisation of marijuana in many states, and experiencing an ongoing nationwide opioid overdose epidemic. Recreational marijuana Although marijuana is still illegal under federal law, 21 states have legalized the recreational use of marijuana. This legalization has opened a new and thriving market in these states. It is estimated that sales of legal cannabis will reach around 25 billion U.S. dollars by the year 2025. Although support for the legalization of marijuana has not always been strong, now around 68 percent of U.S. adults believe it should be made legal. The opioid epidemic The opioid epidemic describes a rise in overdose deaths in the U.S. due to prescription opioids, heroin, and illegally manufactured synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. The epidemic stems from misleading information from pharmaceutical companies concerning the dangers of opioids such as oxycontin, overprescribing of opioids from physicians, and an influx of easily accessible heroin and highly potent synthetic opioids. In 2022, there were around 81,806 deaths from opioid overdose in the United States.

As of 2023, the Netherlands had the highest prevalence of cocaine use in Europe at three percent of the population having used in the previous year. This was followed by Spain and Ireland, with 2.4 percent and 2.3 percent of their respective populations using cocaine in this period. Breakdown of cocaine users in the Netherlands When broken down by age, the highest prevalence of cocaine users in the Netherlands is found in early adulthood. Almost seven percent of those aged 25 to 29 years used cocaine in 2021, and around 17 percent of this age group had tried it at least once in their life.Harms of cocaine useIn 2022, over 2.6 thousand people in the Netherlands entered drug treatment as a result of cocaine use. Furthermore, in the last 15 years, the annual number of deaths due to cocaine use in the country has been steadily increasing. A new-high was reached in 2021, with 72 cocaine deaths recorded in the Netherlands.

In the past few years the number of deaths from cocaine overdose has risen in the United States, with almost ****** such deaths in 2022. Deaths involving cocaine are more common among males than females, with deaths among males more than double that of females in 2022. It is important to note that many overdose deaths involving cocaine also involve the use of other drugs, in particular opioids, which may contribute to death. Cocaine use Cocaine is one of the most commonly used illicit drugs in the United States. As of 2022, over ** million people had used cocaine in their lifetime, an increase from **** million in 2009. Furthermore, almost *** million people in the U.S. used cocaine in the past year as of 2022. Cocaine use among teens The lifetime prevalence of cocaine use among high school students in the U.S. has decreased in recent years. As of 2022, around *** percent of high school students stated they had used cocaine in their lifetime. Nevertheless, around **** percent of high school students state that cocaine is “fairly easy” or “very easy” to obtain.

This statistic shows the worldwide production quantity of cocaine from 1994 to 2021. In 2021, the total production of cocaine worldwide was around 2,304 metric tons.

In 2024, some 17.9 percent of 12th graders in the United States stated they felt it was “fairly easy” or “very easy” to obtain LSD. This is a significant decrease from 54 percent of 12th graders who perceived the drug to be easy to obtain in the year 1995. LSD is a hallucinogenic drug that can alter the user’s thoughts, feelings, and perception of reality. Teen drug availability Similar to LSD, around 18 percent of 12th graders in the U.S. also perceived it easy to obtain cocaine. Perceived availability of cocaine among this group has decreased since the year 2007, in which 47 percent felt it was easy to obtain. Marijuana is the most used illicit drug among 12th graders, so it is unsurprising that perceived availability is high. In 2022, around 70 percent of 12th graders stated it was easy to obtain marijuana. Drug use Marijuana is the most popular illicit drug in the United States, with over 52 million people using this drug in the past year as of 2021. Cocaine is the second most commonly used illicit drug, followed by methamphetamine and LSD. In total, around 29.5 million people in the U.S. have used LSD in their lifetime.

The largest amount of federal drug control spending was reported for FY 2023 with some 44.2 billion U.S. dollars. The requested funding 2025 is slightly higher. This statistic depicts the total federal drug control spending in the United States from FY 2012 to FY 2025, in million U.S. dollars.

U.S. drug control spending

In the United States, around half of the requested budget for federal drug control spending in 2025 was requested for treatment of substance use disorders; the remaining budget was distributed amongst various governmental departments for prevention, interdiction, and law enforcement. In particular, the largest amount of drug control treatment funding in 2024 within the Department of Health and Human Services was spent by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, followed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Drug control and the opioid epidemic

The misuse of prescription drugs and the opioid epidemic are a major focus of U.S. drug control strategies and spending. In the U.S., the top controlled prescription drugs distributed are hydrocodone and oxycodone, both potentially addictive opioid analgesics that can be misused and sold illegally. In 2010-2019, efforts to reduce illegal sales of opioid narcotics in the U.S. have managed to reduce the amount of opioids diverted from the legal market by over half. Unfortunately, misusing opioids and synthetic variants such as heroin can be life-threatening; death rates due to opioid overdoses are continuing to rise.

In 2023, around 72,776 people in the United States died from a drug overdose that involved fentanyl. This was the second-highest number of fentanyl overdose deaths ever recorded in the United States, and a significant increase from the number of deaths reported in 2019. Fentanyl overdoses are now the driving force behind the opioid epidemic, accounting for the majority of overdose deaths in the United States. What is fentanyl? Fentanyl is an extremely potent synthetic opioid similar to morphine, but more powerful. It is a prescription drug but is also manufactured illegally and is sometimes mixed with other illicit drugs such as heroin and cocaine, often without the user’s knowledge. The potency of fentanyl makes it very addictive and puts users at a high risk for overdose. Illegally manufactured fentanyl has become more prevalent in the United States in recent years, leading to a huge increase in drug overdose deaths. In 2022, the rate of drug overdose death involving fentanyl was 22.7 per 100,000 population, compared to a rate of just one per 100,000 population in the year 2013. Fentanyl overdoses by gender and race/ethnicity As of 2022, the rate of drug overdose deaths involving fentanyl in the United States is over two times higher among men than women. Rates of overdose death involving fentanyl were low for both men and women until around the year 2014 when they began to quickly increase, especially for men. In 2022, there were around 19,880 drug overdose deaths among women that involved fentanyl compared to 53,958 such deaths among men. At that time, the rate of fentanyl overdose deaths was highest among non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Natives and lowest among non-Hispanic Asians. However, from the years 2014 to 2018, non-Hispanic whites had the highest fentanyl overdose death rates.