The Idaho Statistical Analysis Center (ISAC) is pleased to announce the release of a new data dashboard and technical report on patterns of substance use and misuse in Idaho.

Leveraging funding from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics' State Justice Statistics Program, ISAC collaborated with the Idaho Office of Drug Policy (ODP) and the State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup (SEOW) to develop the SEOW Data Dashboard. The dashboard, which compiles and visualizes over 100 indicators from 10 sources, is a new resource that helps shed light on the overall nature of substance use and misuse around the state. Policymakers, practitioners, and the public can use the new dashboard to identify trends and emerging issues of interest to them and use the data to plan programs and other activities aimed at addressing those issues or preventing substance misuse in their communities. 

The companion technical report, "Substance Misuse in Idaho: Overview of Data from the State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup", presents additional analyses using the data presented in the SEOW Data Dashboard, and includes discussions of data quality and state-level trends in substance use and misuse.

Some state-level highlights from the project:

 -- There is far more data available on alcohol use/misuse (20 indicators), tobacco (16 indicators), and marijuana (14 indicators) than there is for fentanyl (2 indicators) and methamphetamine (5 indicators).

 -- About 2 in 5 (42%) Idahoans aged 12 or older reported using alcohol in 2021, below the national average of 48%. Also in 2021, nearly 11% of Idahoans reported needing treatment for alcohol misuse but not receiving it.

 -- Idahoans report using tobacco products at rates above the national average. In 2021, 1 in 5 (19.8%) Idahoans aged 12 or older reported using tobacco products, slightly higher than the national average of 19.6%. 19% of Idaho high school students reported having tried cigarettes at least once, above the national average of 18%, and 39% reported using a vape product at least once (above the national average of 36%).

 -- A lower percentage of Idahoans aged 12 or older reported using marijuana in 2021 (15%) than the national average (19%), but attitudes around the dangerousness of marijuana use have shifted in recent years. In 2021, 36% of Idaho adults reporting having a perception of great risk from using marijuana, down from 51% in 2015.

 -- Idaho's opioid overdose death rate was 1.5 times higher in 2022 (13.9 deaths per 100,000 residents) than in 2012 (5.5). Similarly, Idaho's fentanyl overdose death rate in 2022 was nearly 10 times higher (9.7) than in 2012 (0.9).

The SEOW Data Dashboard is available on the SEOW website (https://odp.idaho.gov/state-epidemiological-outcomes-workgroup-seow/) and the full technical report is available in the ISAC Publication Library (https://isp.idaho.gov/pgr/sac/library/).

The Idaho Statistical Analysis Center (ISAC) is located within the Pass-Through Grants and Research Department of the Idaho State Police. The mission of ISAC is to disseminate research, data and statistics related to crime, illegal drugs, victim services, and the administration of justice in Idaho. To learn more about ISAC, or to access other data dashboards and publications, visit our website at https://isp.idaho.gov/pgr/sac/.