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In Maryland, the number of deaths related to alcohol and drug use is on the rise. Fentanyl and heroin, in particular, continue to drive the state’s opioid epidemic.
Below are statistics that help to illuminate the magnitude of the problem:
Given the high rates of substance abuse across the state, there is great need for effective addiction treatment.
Maryland courts witness a staggering number of drug-related crimes every year. But the prevalence of these violations doesn't make the penalties any less serious. In addition to the legal consequences, drug abuse can take away educational or job opportunities.
Marijuana possession for personal use is a crime in Maryland. However, the state has decriminalized marijuana possession to a certain degree. Those caught in possession of fewer than 10 grams won't face any jail time, but they will be charged with a civil offense and face a $100 maximum fine. If the person is caught with any amount between 10 grams or 50 pounds, the penalties are more severe. Sentencing can include jail time of up to five years and a maximum $100,000 fine.
Possession of marijuana with the intention to distribute is handled separately in Maryland. Violators are immediately charged as felons, with a maximum sentence of 40 years and a hefty fine of up to $1 million.
As of August 2016, the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission began announcing license pre-approvals for medical marijuana growers and dispensaries. Approximately 16 of Maryland's counties, as well as the city of Baltimore, will allow legal access to medical marijuana in 2017.
Qualifying conditions for medical marijuana in Maryland include:
Access to medical marijuana will have some limitations. Patients can only get a 30-day supply, and no edible forms of marijuana will be permitted. At-home plant cultivation will also be illegal under state law.
Like most states in the U.S., Maryland has cracked down on illicit drug abuse crimes through tough and unforgiving penalties. The severity of Maryland's penalties depends on the type of substance, as well as the amount involved.
Maryland classifies controlled dangerous substances (CDS) in five different categories, or schedules. Schedule I and schedule II drugs are considered the most dangerous, while schedules III through V are perceived as less dangerous.
| Classification | Substance Examples |
|---|---|
| Schedule I | Heroin, marijuana, ecstasy |
| Schedule II | Cocaine, methamphetamine, morphine |
| Schedule III | Anabolic steroids, ketamine |
| Schedule IV | Xanax, Valium, Ambien |
| Schedule V | Cough suppressants, including Lyrica and Codeine |
Although Maryland officials have worked toward treatment approaches for first-time, nonviolent drug offenders, the law still requires sentencing for some drug-related crimes. Typically, the maximum penalty for CDS possession is four years in prison and a $25,000 fine. However, if you're found in possession of a CDS with the intent to distribute, you can face up to 40 years in prison and a $100,000 fine. Certain factors can also affect an offender's punishment, including the location of the crime or the number of previous offenses.
Many states understand that no matter how many laws there are against drug abuse, people will still find ways to get their fix. This is why Maryland has adopted a number of harm reduction laws, which aim to reduce the health and economic risks associated with drug addiction.
Maryland has witnessed a sharp increase in HIV infections within the last few years. In 2010, the state ranked number two in the nation for new HIV cases. Many of these diagnoses were a result of drug use through syringe injection.
In May 2016, the governor of Maryland signed the Opioid-Associated Disease Prevention and Outreach act to provide thousands of Maryland's residents with greater access to sterile syringe exchange programs.
Quote/Highlight: “Syringe service programs are not only vital to reducing the harm of injection drug use, but they provide a humane and compassionate approach to addressing substance-use disorders,” said Mark Sine, Director of the Baltimore Student Harm Reduction Coalition.
With this new law, Maryland joins the growing number of states with recently reformed syringe access laws. By providing residents with syringe exchange programs, communities can work to raise awareness, lower the risk of transmitted diseases through drug use, and in turn, save more lives.
The state's Overdose Response Program was launched in 2014 to train people on administering Naloxone, a life-saving medication that reverses opioid-related overdoses. Successfully trained individuals receive a certificate that allows them to obtain a prescription for Naloxone, and keep it on hand in case an overdose occurs. Family members and friends of opioid users, rehab center staff and law enforcement officers are qualified to participate in the program.
Maryland's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene oversees the educational program, which teaches participants how to recognize and respond to opioid overdoses.
The ORP's curriculum teaches participants how to:
The training stresses the importance of calling 911 in the event of an overdose, as well as reporting the incident to the Maryland Poison Center.
Drug and alcohol abuse is damaging in many ways, the greatest of which is overdose deaths. In 2016, 2,089 Maryland families lost loved ones to a drug- or alcohol-related death. This number climbed 156.3 percent, from 815 deaths in 2007. After opioids, alcohol, cocaine and benzodiazepines were responsible for the greatest portion of these deaths.
This is a statewide problem, however certain areas are harder hit than others. Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Anne Arundel saw the highest rates of overdose deaths in the state.
Drug-overdose deaths spiked in people aged 55 and older. From 2010 to 2016 the death rate in this age group rose from 86 to 424, a 393 percent increase. Men also saw a significant increase, at 69 percent.
In 2016 the two substances most responsible for drug-related deaths in Maryland were both opioids: heroin and fentanyl. In this year, opioids were involved in 89 percent of all intoxication deaths in Maryland.
This staggering number makes Maryland one of the top five states for the greatest number of opioid-related overdose deaths. Since 1999, this rate has steadily remained above the national average, and it's almost quadrupled since 2010.
Of the 1,856 lives lost to opioids in 2016:
Preliminary 2017 reports show that the opioid-related death rate in Maryland remained high. From January to September, 1,501 people died from opioid-related intoxication. In only 10 years, this number climbed 228.4 percent from 457 deaths in 2007. This was also the first year carfentanil, a deadly opioid 10,000 times more potent than morphine, was detected. Carfentanil was linked to 57 deaths in 2017.
Prescription painkillers aren't the only medications abused in Maryland. Prescription ADHD medications (Ritalin, Adderall) and benzodiazepines (Valium, Xanax) are widely misused. Misusing or deliberately abusing a prescription can quickly turn into addiction and overdose. Benzodiazepines were some of the drugs most frequently found in Maryland overdoses.
Deaths involving benzodiazepines increased 240.5 percent between 2007 and 2016. According to to the Maryland Department of Health, this increase in deaths is due to benzodiazepines being used in combination with opioids.
Of the 126 benzo-related deaths in 2016:
Combining benzodiazepines and opioids can cause severe respiratory depression, coma and death.
Past-month illicit drug abuse in Maryland was higher than the national average in 2015, at 10.8 percent and 9.8 percent respectively. Illicit drugs used in Maryland include marijuana, cocaine (including crack), synthetic marijuana, hallucinogens and inhalants.
A 2015 report found that all age groups saw increased rates of marijuana abuse. Cocaine-related deaths doubled between 2015 and 2016, making cocaine fourth for drug-related overdose at 464 deaths. This rise is mainly because of opioids being abused with cocaine.
Almost six out of ten Marylanders over age 12 drink alcohol every month. While not all of these people have a problem with alcohol, even casual drinking can develop into an alcohol use disorder if a person isn't careful.
Alcohol abuse, including binge drinking and heavy drinking, destroys the well-being of individuals and families alike in Maryland. Drinking in these ways can lead to addiction, fatal car crashes, birth defects, alcohol poisoning and other dangers. Alcohol-related hospital admissions have consistently increased in Maryland.
Alcohol-related deaths have been climbing in every region of Maryland since 2010. From 2015 to 2016, alcohol-related deaths almost doubled. Men and women of all ages, races and ethnicities have been affected.
Other drugs are frequently involved in alcohol overdose deaths:
Polydrug abuse, or the use of two or more substances at once, is very dangerous. These behaviors increase the odds of overdose, especially when the substance is another depressant, like benzodiazepines or opioids.
Statewide drug prevention programs are targeted at both youth and adults. While prevention is aimed at all forms of drug abuse, the emphasis is largely on opioids.
The Maryland State Department of Education published a resource to help educators and other professionals working in school districts to fight opioid drug abuse. The goals of the Heroin And Opioid Awareness & Prevention Toolkit include early education on heroin and opioid prevention and organizing a student-based heroin and opioid prevention campaign.
Governor Larry Hogan has made great strides to fight the opioid epidemic. Hogan formed the Inter-Agency Heroin and Opioid Coordinating Council to streamline the state's response to the opioid epidemic.
Following his efforts, the state deputy secretary for public health issued a standing order that lifted the training and certification requirements on naloxone (Narcan), a medication that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. This legislative change makes it available in pharmacies to anyone who wants the drug. Administered soon enough, naloxone could save a person's life.
Every rehab facility approaches addiction treatment differently and some research will be necessary to see what types of facilities and programs are available across the country and which features most interest you. As you begin looking for addiction treatment, it can be helpful to make a list of things you are looking for in a facility. For example, you may want to find a program that offers:
If you want more help determining what to look for in a rehab center, call us to speak with a treatment support representative.
Not all rehab services are created the same. When searching for a drug and alcohol program in Maryland, it can be helpful to consider several important aspects of the treatment center itself. This includes:
When considering rehab services, it's important to become familiar with the kinds of services provided. Here are some of the essential components of inpatient treatment:
The best treatment outcomes are achieved when a person receives personalized care. Treatment plans should be customized to accommodate the ways that addiction has changed each client's life. High-quality programs meet each person's unique needs, and treatment plans should be under continual review to account for progress and setbacks.
Some or all of the following addiction treatment services and programs may be used to help a person recover from a substance use disorder.
Sometimes, no matter how hard friends and family plead, their loved one refuses to accept that they need help. Professional interventions have a high success rate of securing a commitment to seek help.
During a professional intervention, a trained interventionist will help the addicted person to accept the need for treatment. As part of this service, the interventionist will typically research and present treatment options and make arrangements to get a person to treatment.
Treatment success starts with finding the right treatment program. Sometimes it can be difficult to know what the best options are. At this time, professional guidance can be very beneficial.
A clinical assessment is an evaluation that looks at the ways drugs or alcohol have changed a person's life and health. It also looks at any underlying factors which may have caused the addiction. As part of this process, a trained clinician will administer a set of questions. The following are examples of questions that may be asked during this screening:
The answers to these and other questions help addiction specialists to select treatment therapies for an individualized treatment plan.
People who are struggling with intense chemical dependencies may need treatment in two parts: a medical detox to break the physical dependency and therapy for the psychological effects of the addiction. A person experiencing an alcohol, benzodiazepine or opioid addiction should consider a medically supported detox.
The main goal of a medical detox is to reduce or eliminate cravings and symptoms of withdrawal. This process also gives the body a chance to flush the drug's toxins out of its system so that it can heal. In most cases, medications form the foundation of this treatment. The two main medications used for opioid-dependent persons are buprenorphine (Suboxone) and methadone.
Addressing the emotional and behavioral aspects of addictive behavior takes time and intensive therapies. Because of this, inpatient drug rehab is often the most effective treatment choice for a person who is working to recover from a moderate to severe addiction. The residential setting of these programs forms a therapeutic community to protect a person from harmful influences in their life and removes them from triggering environments.
Maryland inpatient addiction treatment programs generally offer the most access to individual, group and family therapy sessions. This extra time is important when a person is working to heal and build coping skills. In addition to short-term care, many rehab centers offer long-term options that give a person more time to build a strong, sober life. These include programs that are 60, 90 or 120 days. Some may even be a year or more.
Many people are quick to choose outpatient treatment due to the flexibility of being able to live at home during treatment. This isn't always the best option, however. Returning home after therapy each day can expose a person to people, places or events that trigger cravings, increasing the risk of relapse.
Though Maryland outpatient drug rehab programs do help many people recover, they're often better when used as a step-down level of care after completing an inpatient program. It can be very difficult to move from the structure and support of a fully supported addiction treatment program to the responsibilities of day-to-day life. An outpatient program can help a person transition to sober living by keeping them active in their recovery.
Treatment builds the foundation of recovery, but it's up to the person to maintain it and stay focused on it. Aftercare or alumni support and sober living options can help a person stay on track with their sobriety.
Many facilities offer some form of aftercare as part of their treatment program. Aftercare services may include outreach or community support programs, alumni mentorships and peer support groups. Good aftercare should monitor a person's health and well-being and may include medication management, mental health care and vocational support services.
Two components of addiction treatment that help people thrive in recovery are structure and accountability. Choosing to live in a sober living home after treatment allows a person to remain rooted in these positive forces. Sober living homes are drug-free environments that support a person as they work to reclaim their life, whether it be looking for a job or resolving family conflicts.
Specialized drug rehab programs available in Maryland may include:
Addiction changes the way a person thinks, feels and relates to the world around them. An important part of treatment is addressing these changes and helping a person relate in a more healthy way.
To achieve this, a variety of therapies are used. These may include more traditional, evidence-based methods and alternative or holistic therapies.
Therapies used in Maryland addiction treatment to help a person reach their recovery goals may include:
Many of these therapies are also used to treat co-occurring disorders or trauma. Treatment is more successful when these conditions are treated alongside the addiction.
Some people who need addiction treatment can't afford to pay for the whole cost out of pocket. To make sure that their or a loved one's treatment needs are met, it's important to understand alternative payment options. One of the most widely available forms of assistance is health insurance.
In Maryland, several individuals and family plans provide addiction treatment services. These may include:
If a person still can't make ends meet after their personal contribution and insurance coverage, they may want to consider scholarships and grants or financing options.
As you consider the expense of rehabilitation in maryland, look at the expense as an investment in your future. Most rehab centers are able to take partial payment through any company or private insurance plan you have. If you wish to review your eligibility and the cost of treatment in MD, call our no-charge helpline to get direct and truthful answers to your questions.
Whether your MD inpatient-residential alcohol and drug abuse treatment with take 30 days or 3 months, making the call immediately improves your odds of getting and keeping healthy. Choosing a treatment center that can meet or exceed your expectations before you ever begin recovery can also help a lot. When you're ready to book treatment, our hotline advisors can help you find the right spot so you get off on the right foot.
The cost of rehab varies depending on a number of factors including:
Despite high rates of substance use, addiction, and overdose, the rates of rehab utilization remain low. In 2015, approximately 20.4 million adults nationwide needed substance abuse treatment. However, only 1.4%, or 3.5 million Americans, actually received it.
The cost of treatment is one of the most common reasons people don’t go to rehab. Thankfully, there are ways to find support for treatment even if you can’t cover the costs yourself. For example, you can look into programs that offer sliding scale payment structures where your cost of treatment is based on your income and other factors.
In Maryland, there are a number of state-funded rehab centers that you can access for treatment. Another excellent way to learn about low-fee programs or free services is by attending a 12-step or other recovery-focused group meeting. You may meet people who are further along in their sobriety who have advice and tips to offer.
While it may feel intimidating to start the process of finding a center, keep in mind that there are many people, centers, and systems in place to help support you in your journey to recovery.
If you are in immediate crisis, for example, experiencing or witnessing an overdose, call 911 right away.
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