Counties where the most opioids are dispensed in Georgia
This story originally appeared on Ophelia and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
Counties where the most opioids are dispensed in Georgia
When Purdue Pharma first began sales of OxyContin in the late 1990s, it was advertised as relief for cancer patients and people with chronic pain. Aggressive marketing fueled the drug's popularity, along with that of other opioid pain management drugs on the market. But as the company touted OxyContin to physicians, it downplayed the drug's addictiveness, according to confidential Justice Department reports obtained by news organizations, leading to widespread use that has fueled an opioid epidemic across the U.S.
More than 645,000 people have died from opioid-related overdoses between 1999 and 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Provisional data shows just under 80,000 people died in 2022 alone.
Opioid prescriptions have decreased dramatically over the past decade as physicians and public health officials learned about the dangers of OxyContin and other opioids prescribed for pain management. In 2020, the most recent year with data available, the national opioid dispense rate reached 43.3 per 100 people, the lowest rate ever recorded.
A 2022 study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that counties with higher dispensing rates had more cases of opioid misuse and dependence. The study suggested that reducing prescriptions at the local level can lower a community's rate of opioid abuse or misuse.
Other studies, however, have suggested that decreasing prescriptions may have fueled a new phase of the opioid epidemic: the rise of synthetics like fentanyl. In 2020, synthetics accounted for 82% of all opioid deaths.
It's also important to note that, as awareness has grown about the dangers of dispensing opioid prescription painkillers, more health care professionals are also prescribing medications like Suboxone–which contains buprenorphine and naloxone—for the treatment of addiction and opioid use disorders. While Suboxone is also an opioid medication, it works differently than typical opioid painkillers, blocking the effects of more powerful and addictive opioids to deter intentional misuse.
Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ophelia broke down counties in every state with the highest opioid dispense rates. In the case of a tie, the county with the higher population and higher raw number is ranked higher. Data was available for 98% of counties in the United States. Overall in Georgia, the opioid dispensing rate was 53.9 per 100 people, compared to 43.3 nationally.
Read the national story for additional historical context and see where other counties outside of Georgia stand.
#50. Elbert County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 57.1 per 100 people
--- 5.9% higher than state average
--- 31.9% higher than national average
#49. Charlton County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 57.2 per 100 people
--- 6.1% higher than state average
--- 32.1% higher than national average
#48. Atkinson County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 58.1 per 100 people
--- 7.8% higher than state average
--- 34.2% higher than national average
#47. Columbia County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 58.5 per 100 people
--- 8.5% higher than state average
--- 35.1% higher than national average
#46. Union County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 60.0 per 100 people
--- 11.3% higher than state average
--- 38.6% higher than national average
#45. Emanuel County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 63.3 per 100 people
--- 17.4% higher than state average
--- 46.2% higher than national average
#44. Barrow County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 63.5 per 100 people
--- 17.8% higher than state average
--- 46.7% higher than national average
#43. Bartow County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 63.6 per 100 people
--- 18.0% higher than state average
--- 46.9% higher than national average
#42. Mcduffie County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 64.1 per 100 people
--- 18.9% higher than state average
--- 48.0% higher than national average
#41. Stephens County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 64.6 per 100 people
--- 19.9% higher than state average
--- 49.2% higher than national average
#40. Fulton County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 65.0 per 100 people
--- 20.6% higher than state average
--- 50.1% higher than national average
#39. Lincoln County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 65.1 per 100 people
--- 20.8% higher than state average
--- 50.3% higher than national average
#38. Gordon County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 68.9 per 100 people
--- 27.8% higher than state average
--- 59.1% higher than national average
#37. Ben Hill County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 70.0 per 100 people
--- 29.9% higher than state average
--- 61.7% higher than national average
#36. Lowndes County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 70.3 per 100 people
--- 30.4% higher than state average
--- 62.4% higher than national average
#35. Fayette County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 71.3 per 100 people
--- 32.3% higher than state average
--- 64.7% higher than national average
#34. Clinch County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 71.5 per 100 people
--- 32.7% higher than state average
--- 65.1% higher than national average
#33. Sumter County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 73.1 per 100 people
--- 35.6% higher than state average
--- 68.8% higher than national average
#32. Carroll County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 73.3 per 100 people
--- 36.0% higher than state average
--- 69.3% higher than national average
#31. Candler County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 73.5 per 100 people
--- 36.4% higher than state average
--- 69.7% higher than national average
#30. Glynn County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 73.6 per 100 people
--- 36.5% higher than state average
--- 70.0% higher than national average
#29. Rabun County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 73.8 per 100 people
--- 36.9% higher than state average
--- 70.4% higher than national average
#28. Decatur County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 74.5 per 100 people
--- 38.2% higher than state average
--- 72.1% higher than national average
#27. Miller County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 74.6 per 100 people
--- 38.4% higher than state average
--- 72.3% higher than national average
#26. Fannin County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 75.7 per 100 people
--- 40.4% higher than state average
--- 74.8% higher than national average
#25. Whitfield County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 75.7 per 100 people
--- 40.4% higher than state average
--- 74.8% higher than national average
#24. Towns County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 76.2 per 100 people
--- 41.4% higher than state average
--- 76.0% higher than national average
#23. Chatham County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 76.4 per 100 people
--- 41.7% higher than state average
--- 76.4% higher than national average
#22. Hall County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 77.6 per 100 people
--- 44.0% higher than state average
--- 79.2% higher than national average
#21. Troup County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 79.3 per 100 people
--- 47.1% higher than state average
--- 83.1% higher than national average
#20. Bulloch County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 81.9 per 100 people
--- 51.9% higher than state average
--- 89.1% higher than national average
#19. Colquitt County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 86.2 per 100 people
--- 59.9% higher than state average
--- 99.1% higher than national average
#18. Crisp County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 90.0 per 100 people
--- 67.0% higher than state average
--- 107.9% higher than national average
#17. Richmond County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 90.4 per 100 people
--- 67.7% higher than state average
--- 108.8% higher than national average
#16. Upson County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 90.5 per 100 people
--- 67.9% higher than state average
--- 109.0% higher than national average
#15. Spalding County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 92.1 per 100 people
--- 70.9% higher than state average
--- 112.7% higher than national average
#14. Laurens County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 96.3 per 100 people
--- 78.7% higher than state average
--- 122.4% higher than national average
#13. Brooks County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 97.6 per 100 people
--- 81.1% higher than state average
--- 125.4% higher than national average
#12. Wayne County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 100.6 per 100 people
--- 86.6% higher than state average
--- 132.3% higher than national average
#11. Muscogee County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 102.4 per 100 people
--- 90.0% higher than state average
--- 136.5% higher than national average
#10. Dougherty County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 112.3 per 100 people
--- 108.3% higher than state average
--- 159.4% higher than national average
#9. Seminole County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 120.4 per 100 people
--- 123.4% higher than state average
--- 178.1% higher than national average
#8. Thomas County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 124.2 per 100 people
--- 130.4% higher than state average
--- 186.8% higher than national average
#7. Bibb County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 125.6 per 100 people
--- 133.0% higher than state average
--- 190.1% higher than national average
#6. Bacon County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 131.3 per 100 people
--- 143.6% higher than state average
--- 203.2% higher than national average
#5. Clarke County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 136.3 per 100 people
--- 152.9% higher than state average
--- 214.8% higher than national average
#4. Coffee County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 142.4 per 100 people
--- 164.2% higher than state average
--- 228.9% higher than national average
#3. Floyd County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 148.7 per 100 people
--- 175.9% higher than state average
--- 243.4% higher than national average
#2. Ware County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 160.1 per 100 people
--- 197.0% higher than state average
--- 269.7% higher than national average
#1. Tift County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 181.6 per 100 people
--- 236.9% higher than state average
--- 319.4% higher than national average
