Texas ranks second in nation for meth use

Photo byLoren BiseronUnsplash

Like most states, Texas has been mobilizing to combat rising cases of fentanyl use.

But, for years, Texas has struggled with high cases of methamphetamine use. 2024 is no exception, according to data collected by the nonpartisan World Population Review.

Data gathered by experts with WPR from 2021 found Texas is number two in the country in use of the illicit stimulant, with 197,000 meth users in the state.

California came in first with some 418,000 people.

Tennessee, Florida, and New York rounded out the top five states.

Photo byWorld Population Review/Graphic by Author

But it's not all bad news — 

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that, in 2023, overdose deaths across the board decreased nationwide — including in Texas — for the first time since 2018.

In 2023, psychostimulants (including methamphetamine), accounted for 36,251 deaths nationwide, down from 35,550 the previous year.

12 Month-ending Provisional Number and Percent Change of Drug Overdose Deaths for Texas.Photo byCDC/Screencap by Author

From a high in Jan. 2023 of 5,812 reported deaths, Texas has gone down to 5,694 as of Febrary of this year — the last dataset available from the CDC.

Synthetic opioids (such as fentanyl) are still the leading cause of drug deaths, according to the CDC. An estimated 74,702 people died nationwide from overdose in 2023.

According to U.S. Pharmacist and researchers with the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), meth-based deaths have been rising, in part, due to increased potency and availabilty.

The largest supplier for meth to the U.S. is traffic from Mexico. Mexican drug cartels have gone from local setups to industrial manufacturers and wholesalers.

On Wednesday alone, a 3,000-pound meth shipment was intercepted at the Pharr International Bridge, connecting the Texas city of Pharr with the city of Reynosa in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents found what they called the "massive methamphetamine load," bound for U.S. streets in a truckload of lettuce, according to a statement from CBP.

Earlier this year, in the number one state for meth use, California, law enforcement officers seized nearly two tons of meth in Riverside County.

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), methamphetamine is a stimulant, and can be used for medical purposes. It's sold under the trade name Desoxyn.

The DEA describes meth as highly addictive, with many short- and long-term damaging effects.

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