Substance Abuse Trends in Houston, Texas

Certain cities in Texas are known as High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTAs), including San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston. Many drugs come into the United States through the Port of Houston. In 2025, the #1 drug threat in Houston was Fentanyl (Synthetic Opioids), followed by Methamphetamine and Cocaine.

Although drug abuse continues to be a major problem in the Houston, Texas area, thousands of adolescents and adults do seek and receive treatment for their addiction. Here are some of the most recent substance abuse and treatment statistics regarding the Houston, Texas area.

General Substance Abuse in the Houston area:

• Approximately 490,000 people aged 12 or older used an illicit drug in the past year.
• Around 369,000 individuals aged 12 or older were estimated to have a substance use disorder within the same period.
• Roughly 25.1% of persons aged 12 or older reported binge drinking at least once in the past month.

Illicit Drugs Seized in the Houston Area in 2016

• In 2025, federal agencies dismantled a major laundering operation linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel in Harris County. During Operation Noch, authorities seized 85 kg of methamphetamine, 6 kg of heroin, and other drugs.
• In 2023, a violent crime initiative in the Houston area resulted in seizures including approximately 248 kg of methamphetamine (some laced with fentanyl), and over 1.7 kg of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and PCP.
• A separate 2023 federal joint raid (DEA/ATF) seized 53.5 kg of meth, 32.8 kg of fentanyl, and 205.6 kg of marijuana, along with hundreds of firearms.

Drug-Related Deaths and Overdoses in the Houston Area

• Substance-involved deaths rose from 673 in 2018 to 1,177 in 2022, marking a 74.9% increase.
• Preliminary 2024 data indicates 942 accidental drug/alcohol-involved deaths, down from 1,096 in 2023 — a 14.1% decline.
• Cocaine-involved deaths: 423 in 2024 (down from 450 in 2023).
• Methamphetamine-involved deaths: 321 in 2024 (down from 388 in 2023).
• Heroin-involved deaths: last reported as 236 in 2021.
• Synthetic opioids (fentanyl): rose from 28 in 2016 to 581 in 2022, then dropped to 572 in 2023, and further to 403 in 2024.
• Youth overdose deaths (ages 15–19) rose by 370%, including a 544% increase specifically in that group between 2018 and 2022.

Youth Substance Abuse in Houston:

Synthetic Marijuana/Synthetic Cannabinoids

• National prevalence among high school students is approximately 10%, with about 3% reporting frequent (6+ times) use.
• Houston-specific statistics on synthetic marijuana use are not reported as distinct percentages in recent datasets, but national trends indicate synthetic cannabinoids remain relatively uncommon and mostly experimental.

Marijuana (Natural)

• In 2023, approximately 14.9% of HISD high school students reported using marijuana at least once in the past month—down from around 23.4% in 2013.
• Lifetime marijuana use among HISD students was 28.9% in 2023, indicating a long-term downward trend.

Cocaine

• In 2023, about 6.6% of HISD students reported having tried cocaine at least once—roughly double the national average.

Treatment Admissions to Publicly Funded Facilities in the Houston Area

• Approximately 35,000 individuals aged 12 and older were admitted to publicly funded substance use treatment programs in Texas in a single-day count (2021); admissions in Harris‑Region Gulf Coast context remain a proportionate subset.
• Approximately 19–20% of admissions statewide were for marijuana, while 17–18% involved alcohol, and runaround 11–13% for methamphetamine, cocaine, and opioids.
• Around 23% of admissions cited marijuana or alcohol as the primary substance of abuse.
• The primary substances of abuse in treatment in the Texas Gulf Coast region are:
  • Marijuana – ~19–23%
  • Alcohol – ~17–18%
  • Methamphetamine – ~10–13%
  • Cocaine / Crack – ~11%
  • Heroin – ~11%
  • Other Opiates – ~8%
  • Prescription Opioids (e.g. Vicodin) – part of other opiate category (~8%)
  • Amphetamine/Xanax – each less than 3–4% of admissions

Drug and Alcohol Detox at Briarwood Detox Center in Houston

If you or a loved one in Houston, Texas is suffering from drug and alcohol addiction, contact Briarwood Detox Center today to learn more about our individualized drug detox programs. We have detox centers in Houston and Austin, Texas that are fully staffed with addiction treatment professionals who are ready to help addicted individuals transition from a life of substance abuse to a life of recovery. Call today to start the enrollment process in our drug and alcohol addiction program in San Antonio, Texas.