October is National Substance Use Prevention Month

Substance abuse prevention plays a pivotal role in community and public health. In 2021, more than 100,000 people in the US died from a drug overdose, with a predicted 6.7% increase nationally for 2022.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) almost 14% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 used illicit drugs in the past year. And although illicit drug use typically declines with age, SAMHSA estimates that nearly 1 million adults 65 and older have a substance use disorder.  

Local data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services show that between 33% and 36% of Medicare beneficiaries in Western N.Y. counties have a recent history of substance use.

Find prevention resources and information during Red Ribbon Week, October 23 – 30, the nation’s largest drug-abuse prevention campaign.

Review available local data on substance use, including opioid overdose mortality and deaths of despair, as well as local addiction and substance abuse providers, in the RocHealthData map room.

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