The 2025 Statewide Needs Assessment and Planning (SNAP) Report provides California’s substance use disorder incidence and prevalence rates among Drug Medi-Cal (DMC) and Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System (DMC-ODS) members, racial and ethnic groups, and youth, and identifies related service utilization, client outcomes, and program performance.

Findings: California data shows fluctuations in alcohol misuse for junior high- and high school-aged youth, as well as misuse of prescription medications for high school-aged youth, as students returned to in-person learning after the COVID-19 pandemic. Survey respondents who were 18 years or older continued to show a decline in the misuse of prescription medications.

The state experienced an alarming increase in overdose deaths related to psychostimulants with abuse potential such as cocaine and methamphetamine since 2015. The number of hospitalizations and deaths due to alcohol and drug misuse continues to be a grim fact as an estimated annual average of 19,335 alcohol attributable deaths occurred in California from 2020 through 2021. Males accounted for a majority of these deaths. In 2023, California hospitals tallied 53,555 emergency department (ED) visits and 19,242 non-fatal drug overdose hospitalizations.

Data from the 2022 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) on youth alcohol, hashish/marijuana, and prescription pain medication use are included in this report.