South Florida Substance Abuse Statistics

Last Updated September 9, 2024

The South Florida region encompasses Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Palm Beach counties. Here are some key statistics on drug overdoses, treatment admissions, and substance abuse in the region.

Key Takeaways:

In 2023, Monroe County had the highest rate of substance abuse beds in South Florida, with 23.6 beds per 100,000 population.
In 2015, 30.6% of public students in South Florida reported alcohol use in the past month, with 11.6% reporting binge drinking. 61.2% reported alcohol use at some point in their lifetime.
Youth opioid overdoses in Miami-Dade County were over four times higher in 2016 and 2017 compared to 2010.
In 2016, 5.01% of people in Southern Florida reported past-year alcohol dependency, especially in Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties.
In 2016, 85% of addiction treatment patients under 18 in South Florida cited marijuana as their drug of choice.
Men constituted 67% of alcohol-related treatment admissions and 69% of marijuana-related admissions in South Florida in 2016.
Cocaine-related deaths in South Florida increased from 431 in 2011 to 1,011 in 2018.
In 2019, cocaine accounted for 15% of the 19,439 publicly-funded treatment admissions in South Florida.
Heroin-related deaths in South Florida decreased from 520 in 2017 to 358 in 2018.
Palm Beach County accounted for 47% of the 2,758 regional heroin admissions in 2019.
Fentanyl-related deaths in South Florida rose by 13% from 750 in 2017 to 851 in 2018.
Cocaine was found in over 50% of fentanyl-related deaths between 2016 and 2018.
Methamphetamine-related deaths in South Florida decreased from 93 in 2017 to 84 in 2018.
Marijuana accounted for one-third of the 19,439 publicly-funded treatment admissions in South Florida in 2019.
Miami-Dade County recorded the most marijuana treatment admissions in 2019, with 2,957 admissions.

General Insights

General insights on substance abuse in South Florida include:

In 2023, Monroe County had the highest rate of substance abuse beds compared to other South Florida regions, with 23.6 beds per 100,000 population. This was followed by Broward County (2.5 per 100,000) and Palm Beach (0.3 per 100,000).
In 2022, Broward County in South Florida saw 705 fatal drug overdoses, according to the Florida Department of Health.
In 2022, there were 1,957 non-fatal overdose hospitalizations in Broward County, of which 567 were due to opioids.
In 2022, Broward County saw a total of 3,366 non-fatal overdose emergency department visits, of which 1,403 were due to opioids.
In 2022, Broward County’s drug overdose death rate was 34.3 per 100,000 population for any drugs and 28.2 per 100,000 population for opioids.
In 2022, Miami-Dade County in South Florida had a drug overdose death rate of 14.3 per 100,000 population. The same year, Miami-Dade saw 2,244 drug overdose emergency department visits.
In 2022, there were 2,047 non-fatal overdose hospitalizations in Miami-Dade County, with 328 due to opioids.
In 2022, Palm Beach County in South Florida had a drug overdose death rate of 37.4 per 100,000 population. That same year, there were 2,842 non-fatal overdose emergency department visits in the region.
According to the HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine, in Miami-Dade County, youth opioid overdoses in 2016 and 2017 were over four times higher than in 2010.
In 2016, 5.01% of people in Southern Florida reported past-year alcohol dependency, particularly in the Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties.
In 2016, 85% of addiction treatment patients under 18 in South Florida (mainly the Miami area) cited marijuana as their drug of choice.
In 2016, men in South Florida constituted 67% of all alcohol-related treatment admissions and 69% of all marijuana-related admissions. Women made up 33% and 31% respectively.
Among public school students in South Florida, 30.6% reported alcohol use in the past month, while 11.6% reported binge alcohol drinking in 2015. When asked about substances ever used in their lifetime, alcohol was the most common, reported by 61.2% of all public school students.

Substance Abuse Statistics by Substance Type

Here are statistics about substance abuse in South Florida according to substance type:

Cocaine

According to South Florida’s Executive Office of the HIDTA, cocaine-related deaths increased from 431 in 2011 to 1,011 deaths in 2018.

In South Florida, individuals aged 35 to 50 years old accounted for 37% of the 1,011 cocaine deaths in 2018.
In South Florida, Miami-Dade County was responsible for 36% of the cocaine deaths in 2018, followed by Palm Beach County at 32%.

The Florida Medical Examiners Commission reported that between 2016 and 2018, fentanyl was the most frequently detected substance in cocaine-related deaths in South Florida, found in 54.3% of deaths.

In 2019, cocaine accounted for 15% of the 19,439 publicly-funded treatment admissions in South Florida, according to the Florida Department of Children and Families.
In South Florida, cocaine treatment admissions rose from 2,889 in 2018 to 2,944 in 2019. Over half of the 5,207 cocaine admissions statewide were from the South Florida region.
Of cocaine-related admissions in South Florida, more than 50% were for crack cocaine as opposed to other forms.
In 2019, Miami-Dade County constituted two-thirds (1,967) of the 2,944 cocaine admissions in South Florida.
Of all cocaine treatment admissions in South Florida, 66% (or about two-thirds) were male.

Heroin

In 2018, there were 358 heroin-related deaths in South Florida, a decrease from 520 in 2017, as reported by the Florida Medical Examiners Commission Annual Report for 2018.
From 2016 to 2018, fentanyl was the most common substance found alongside heroin, present in 65% of all heroin deaths in South Florida.

According to the Florida Department of Children and Families, heroin represented 14% of the 19,439 publicly-funded treatment admissions in South Florida during 2019.
In 2019, around 33% of 7,451 heroin treatment admissions statewide occurred in the South Florida region.
In 2019, Palm Beach County accounted for 47% (1,297) of the 2,758 regional heroin admissions in South Florida.
In 2015, Southeast Florida had the highest rate of heroin-related deaths among other Florida regions, with a rate of 10.13 in 100,000 population.

Fentanyl and Other Opioids

Between 2017 and 2018, fentanyl-related deaths in South Florida rose by 13%, increasing from 750 in 2017 to 851 in 2018.
From 2016 to 2018, cocaine was the top co-occurring substance in fentanyl-related deaths in South Florida, found in over 50% of deaths involving fentanyl and its analogs.
In 2019, fentanyl and other opioids made up 5% of the 19,439 publicly-funded treatment admissions in the South Florida region, increasing from 843 in 2018 to 1,004 in 2019, as per the Florida Department of Children and Families.
Over one-fifth of the 4,396 statewide admissions for fentanyl and other opiates/opioids occurred in the South Florida region.
In South Florida, Broward County accounted for 43% (438) of the 1,004 regional fentanyl-related admissions in 2019.
In 2019, more than 50% of opioid-related regional admissions in South Florida were male.
In Broward County in South Florida, heroin-related deaths rose by 125% from 2015 to 2016.

Methamphetamine

In 2018, there were 84 methamphetamine-related deaths in South Florida, compared to 93 in 2017.
Cannabinoids were the most common co-occurring substance in methamphetamine-related deaths in South Florida, being present in 47.2% of deaths.
Methamphetamine accounted for 1% of the 19,439 publicly-funded treatment admissions in South Florida in 2019, according to the Florida Department of Children and Families. Meth-related admissions rose from 250 in 2018 to 275 in 2019.
Less than 10% of the 4,248 statewide methamphetamine treatment admissions occurred in the South Florida region.
In 2019, Miami-Dade County accounted for 43% of regional methamphetamine admissions, followed by Broward County at 30%.

Marijuana

In 2018, marijuana was detected in 910 deaths in the South Florida region.
According to the Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index, marijuana was the most commonly detected drug in South Florida, with detection rates increasing from 1.7% in 2017 to 1.9% in 2018.
In 2019, marijuana accounted for one-third of the 19,439 publicly-funded treatment admissions in the South Florida region, with 6,427 marijuana-related admissions.
More than one-third of the 15,605 marijuana treatment admissions statewide were from South Florida.
In 2019, Miami-Dade County recorded the most marijuana treatment admissions at 2,957, followed by Broward County with 2,168, and Palm Beach County with 1,078.
Between 2015 and 2016, Southern Florida made up 28.2% percent of all marijuana treatment admissions in Florida.

FAQs

What Are the Most Commonly Abused Substances in South Florida?

Alcohol, prescription opioids, cocaine, and marijuana are the most commonly abused substances in South Florida.

Which Area in South Florida Has the Most Substance Abuse?

Urban areas in South Florida, particularly Miami-Dade and Broward counties, have higher rates of substance abuse than other South Florida regions.

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Magnified Health Systems aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with substance use or mental health disorder with fact-based content about the nature of behavioral health conditions, treatment options and their related outcomes. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers.

This content is verified and moderated by Dr. Brendan Bickley

Dr. Bickley graduated from U.C. Irvine with honors: Phi Beta Kappa, Golden Key International Honor Society, Cum Laude. He has been featured on national radio and print media. He is also a frequent lecturer at National Conferences. He holds an A.S. degree in Drug & Alcohol Studies, and two B.A. degrees in Criminology & Psychology, and masters and doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology. He is a licensed California Drug & Alcohol Counselor Level II, a licensed Clinical Supervisor and is certified in treating Eating Disorders.