A long border with Canada and a large migrant population combine to make Washington State one of the major sources of drugs in the United States. Some is manufactured here (marijuana is grown across the state); much more is transported and distributed throughout Washington by biker and street gangs and Mexican cartels. A great deal of what enters the state is consumed there. Washington ranks above the national average for rates of alcohol and illicit drug use, and is observing a sharp rise in the number of prescription drugs being put to nonmedical use.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Issues At-A-Glance, Washington
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA),  December 2008

Washington drug and alcohol treatment and rehabilitation centers also note a disturbing trend that reflects the rampant spread of methamphetamine statewide. Admission rates for drug treatment in Washington have nearly tripled since 1992, from 11% to 29%. Of those, patients admitted for methamphetamine abuse rose from 1% in 1992 to 30% in 2005. Amphetamine admissions to Washington rehabilitation facilities now top those for alcohol only.

Office of National Drug Control Policy, Drug Policy Information Clearinghouse
State of Washington Profile of Drug Indicators
January 2008

Nationwide, prescription drugs are the second most abused substances by young people. Washington rehab centers and law enforcement note that steroids, methadone, and hydrocodone and oxycodone products are becoming a serious problem alongside marijuana, which is widely available. A 2006 survey of high school students showed that 44% of Washington 12^th graders had tried marijuana. On a past-month basis, however, more students in all grades had abused prescription painkillers (7.52%) than marijuana (6.83%). These troubling trends spell bad news for parents. The flood of illicit and illegally-obtained narcotics, pharmaceuticals, and other controlled substances through Washington’s streets and schools makes it difficult to prevent young people being exposed to their risks. A stint in rehab in Washington for residents of all ages is no longer the distant possibility it used to be.

At last report (2006), there were 439 drug and alcohol treatment and rehabilitation centers in Washington State. These include both public and private facilities, and private nonprofit and private for-profit treatment centers. In Washington, the number of available facilities has risen since 2002, and 55% of them receive public funding, expanding the treatment options for Washington’s citizens. Some 43,000 people were admitted to Washington rehab facilities in 2006. Programs vary from facility to facility, and individuals seeking help should evaluate their local options carefully. The majority of treatment centers in Washington provide services on an outpatient basis; 60 also offer residential care. Not every program is certified to treat opiate addiction, though 17 programs did offer opioid treatment. The type of level of service in any Washington community, therefore, will vary, but people seeking treatment for drug and alcohol abuse in Washington should not give up if the local rehab center seems unable to address a particular problem. About 53% of Washington treatment centers contract their services to local hospitals and other managed care organizations, which can refer patients in the right direction.