A lot of people would be surprised to know this, but West Virginia is actually the state with the highest rate of use of “mood-altering drugs.” In each state, a minimum of 450 adults were asked the following question: “How often do you use drugs and medications, including prescription drugs, which affect your mood and help you relax — almost every day, sometimes, rarely, or never?” It is important to note that the meaning of the phrase “drugs and medications” was not specified, meaning that the respondents could answer based on their own definitions.

Apparently, West Virginia drug use is a real problem; the survey results showed that 28.1% of people in this state took mood-altering drugs almost daily. The next highest percentages were found in the states of Rhode Island, then Kentucky, then Alabama, and finally Louisiana. The lowest percentage was found in Alaska at 13.5% had the lowest rate of frequent use at 13.5 percent, followed by Wyoming, then California, then Illinois, and finally North Dakota.The national rate of people who say they do this daily is 18.9%, and the rate of people who claim to never do this is 62.2%.

However, it is important to keep in mind the way the question was worded. It is probable that there are a lot of people who did not consider tobacco or alcohol use part of what the survey was trying to assess. According to the most recent National Survey of Drug Use and Health, a minimum of 71% of adults in the United States drank in the last year, and 56% drank in the last month alone. As such, the 62.2% statistic seems to be false just based on what is known about drinking alone.

It does not seem like drugs such as cannabis are responsible for these results, as Alaska and Colorado have some of the highest rates of cannabis usage but some of the lowest percentage results in this poll. Additionally, southern states that have high percentages according to this question have some of the lowest rates of cannabis use.

It is likely, then, that the supposed West Virginia drug use issue may be more of an issue of prescription drug use, such as anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medications, as well as some recreational drugs.

The United State national drug policy differentiates between tobacco/alcohol and “drugs.” This is not necessarily accurate, since alcohol and tobacco have effects on brain chemistry just as “drugs” do.

It would be very interesting to cast another survey whose results entailed all drug use and specified different types. This way, it would be possible to know if there really is a West Virginia drug use problem. It would also provide improved insight into American substance usage and be part of the effort to let Americans know that whether it is tobacco, alcohol, prescription drugs, or recreational drugs, they are all drugs that affect the brain. Better wording of the question would elucidate the true climate of West Virginia drug use.