Hundreds of drug arrests happen every day in Florida. Over the course of the last year on record, which was 2020, there were 68,564 total drug arrests in the state. That works out to an average of 187 per day.
However, statistics also show that these arrests are becoming less common. If you look at the arrests per capita in Florida in 2014, there were roughly 625 arrests for every 100,000 people living in the state. This held steady for the next three years, increased slightly in 2018, and then fell off dramatically. By 2020, the rate was all the way down to 316 arrests per 100,000 people.
National drug use has increased
One thing that makes this interesting is that, on the national scale, drug use has simply been getting to be more and more common. For instance, in the ten-year period from 2009 to 2019, the rate at which Americans use drugs increased from 15% to 21%. Over the same time, the overdose rate for these users tripled. These statistics were pulled from all Americans who are at least 12 years old.
Much of the reason for this is that there has been an increase in the use of opioids. These can be obtained legally, since they are prescription painkillers. Many people get them from the pharmacy after their doctor gives them a valid prescription, and they can certainly help with pain. A common example is the drug Percocet.
However, these drugs are also very addictive. Many people who start to use them for legitimate reasons then become addicted and continue to use them, perhaps feeling like this level of use is almost entirely out of their control. Once addiction takes over, it’s quite hard for people to break.
What options are there?
For those who do get arrested, it’s very important to understand all the legal options you have. For example, if it’s a first-time arrest and addiction is an issue, a drug court may be able to help you avoid jail time. Just be sure you know what options are at your disposal and how to move forward..
