GA has a drug problem and almost no resources to treat it. Here’s why

More than 68,400 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2025, according to the CDC, and the DEA seized the equivalent of 369 million lethal doses of fentanyl that same year.

Georgia sits number 25 overall in WalletHub’s 2026 Drug Use by State rankings. Although that rank may not seem alarming in itself, other statistics reveal a much more concerning story.

Mental Health America’s 2025 opioid response rankings put Georgia at number 50 for opioid treatment and recovery access. It’s one of three bottom states where over 80% of adults needing substance use treatment didn’t get it

How the rankings are made

WalletHub scored states across 20 metrics in three categories, drug use and addiction, law enforcement, and drug health issues and rehabilitation, pulling data from the CDC, SAMHSA, the FBI, the DEA, and other federal agencies.

Georgia’s drug use and addiction rank is 28th, and its law enforcement rank is 47th, however, t’s the rehab category where the statistics are problematic.

Georgia’s rehabilitation statistics

Georgia has 348 substance use treatment facilities, according to data from the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services, but state’s treatment infrastructure is among the weakest in the nation.

• 6th lowest in substance abuse treatment facilities per 100,000 residents
• 5th lowest share of substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors per capita
• One of four states graded “consistently lower” for Medicaid beneficiaries treated for substance use disorders

What the numbers mean

These statistics do not mean Georgia has the most drug use, but rather that people who need help here are least likely to find it.

Whether that’s an insurance gap, a rural access problem, or a funding shortfall, the result is the same: the state is under-equipped to handle the problem it has.

Contributing factors:

• Georgia has not expanded Medicaid
• 25% of uninsured Georgians who would qualify under expansion have a mental illness or substance use disorder
• 45.4% of Georgians who didn’t receive care cited cost as the reason
• ~5 million Georgians live in “treatment deserts”

In some parts of Georgia, the nearest medication-assisted treatment prescriber is three counties away, and nearly half the state has no prescribers at all, according to a Georgia Department of Audits report.

If you need help

Communities without enough mental health professionals face the worst provider shortages and transportation barriers compounding the problem.

• SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357 (free, confidential, 24/7)
• Georgia Crisis and Access Line: 1-800-715-4225
• FindTreatment.gov: Search for local facilities by zip code