DEA Data: Hawai‘i Ranks No. 1 for Purest Drugs Seized

Crystal methamphetamines. Big Island Now stock photo.

A new analysis of data gathered by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has found that drugs seized in Hawai‘i are the purest in the country. On average, drugs are 93.4 percent pure in the Aloha State, according to the report.

The analysis also showed that Hawai‘i has the least amount of overdose deaths, despite having the purest drugs. This may be attributed to fewer variations in the potency of drug doses, enabling users to administer consistent doses that are less likely to be lethal.

Nebraska and South Dakota ranked closely to Hawai‘i in the report, with drug purities measuring more than 90 percent on average. Methamphetamines were cited as a particularly troublesome substance in these three states.

Overall, the findings indicate that drugs seized west of the Mississippi River are nearly 40 percent purer than those confiscated in Eastern U.S. states. States with higher drug purities appear to have fewer urban centers which are typically associated with drug trafficking and accessibility.

The analysis was conducted by Lagunatreatment.com, a drug treatment and detox center located in Orange County, California.