Substance Abuse Statistics in Boston

Credited to be one of the oldest cities in United States, Boston is the largest city and capital of Massachusetts. Established by the Puritan Colonists that came to America from England in 1630, Boston became famous as of the important sites where many major activities were carried out during the American Revolution.

Visitors to this city take a stroll down the 2.5 mile long famous Freedom Trail which takes them across 16 major historical sites in the city including the locations of Boston Tea Party and Boston Massacre. With a current population of the city being around 609,023, Boston MA is the 20^th largest city in the US. Boston MA is the site of the first subway system which was introduced in the country, and is also the home to Boston Latin School, which is the first public school in America.

Boston MA is the hub of technological, political and intellectual activities on the west coast of America and is famous for its world renowned educational institutions and medical facilities. Boston is sometimes also referred to as the Capital of New England for the role the city played in developing the entire New England region. Boston MA is also known by nicknames such as Beantown, The Cradle of Liberty, The Hub, The Cradle of Modern America, and The Walking City.

Boston MA is located bang next to the Pacific Ocean and experiences a huge inflow of tourists and foreign students every year, making it an ideal place for drug trafficking. According to a Substance Abuse Statistics report published by the Boston Public Health Commission, heroin narcotic drug abuse is the biggest problem faced by this city. However, due to the proactive efforts of the Boston Police department, there has been a sharp decline in the number of heroin drug addiction cases which are being reported in the city.

Besides heroin, Oxycodone drug addiction had been the second point of concern for the Boston Public Health Commission. But again, since the last two years, the number of Oxycodone substance abuse users has been controlled.

Alcoholism is again a big issue faced by the city. 34% of the total calls received by the Boston Helpline comprises of drug addicts dealing with some kind of alcohol problem.

The substance abuse statistics report further suggests that the number of youths in Boston who suffers from the problem of narcotic drug abuse is lesser than the national average. But the startling fact was that almost 69.5% of the high school students in Boston have had alcohol at least once in their lifetime, while 43% of them have used an illegal drug at least once. Marijuana and alcohol are the most abused substances among Boston youth.

Boston MA has a large population of Baby Boomers in the age group of 50-59, and according to the Boston state authorities, they are also a soft target for the problem of substance abuse, as a majority of them have used illegal substances in their past.

Help is available for the substance abuse patients in Boston in the form of alcoholism and narcotic drug abuse treatment centers in the city. The combined efforts of Boston Police Department and citizens of Boston will help in maintaining the beauty of this historic city by freeing it from drugs and drug related crimes.