The Biggest Drug Trends of 2019

2019 was accompanied by some exciting developments.

Every year it seems that people are also trying new drugs or new ways to get high and 2019 was no exception. This year was full of new drug trends as well as the rise of some alarming new problems.

2019 Drug Trends

Every year it seems like new drugs are abused and old drugs get stronger. As a Broward country drug rehab, we are sharing some of the top drug trends of 2019 and looking into what these trends mean for 2020.

Vaping

Vaping continues to grow in popularity, especially with the youth. What started as what many believed to be a safer alternative to smoking has also erupted into the vaping of other substances. This year we continued to see an increase in the number of people using synthetic marijuana in e-cigarettes as well as the outbreak of EVALI, a lung injury from THC-containing vaping products. As of December 4, 2019, there were 2,291 cases of EVALI reported to the CDC.¹ Although it can be dangerous, it looks like because vaping is so popular among the youth, this new drug trend is here to stay and the long-term effects of vaping are still to be discovered.

Synthetic Opioids

Unfortunately, the United States is still in the middle of the opioid crisis. With so many people becoming addicted to painkillers and many not getting prescription drug treatment in time, these people are starting to look for stronger and cheaper opioid options. The result is an increase in the use and abuse of synthetic opioids like fentanyl and carfentanil.  The number of drug overdose deaths from fentanyl and similar synthetic opioids has skyrocketed since 2013, far surpassing those deaths involving heroin or common prescription opioids in the same time frame.²

Cocaine Overdoses

While many people are distracted by the headlines involving the opioid drug trends of 2019 and the opioid crisis, cocaine is also causing serious problems. The number of cocaine overdose deaths have been steadily increasing across most of the country since 2010. Some people suspect that cocaine laced with fentanyl is the biggest offender of this increase.³ With fentanyl continuing to rise in popularity in the United States, many fear that this drug trend could continue in 2020.

Meth 2.0

Meth has also caused more problems this year as the introduction of meth 2.0 has started to make its way into the country. This much stronger form of meth has gone from purity levels below 60% in 2003 to purity levels as high as 97% in some cases.⁴ This stronger form of meth may lead to more overdoses and a greater need for better methamphetamine addiction treatment.