BALTIMORE (AP) — A new Maryland health department report shows a large increase in the number of residents who are receiving drug treatment.

The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene sent a report Wednesday to lawmakers on the number of residents receiving substance abuse treatment through Medicaid.

The number has gone up from 17,995 in fiscal year 2009 to a projected 38,695 in the current fiscal year.

The department projects that Medicaid and the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration will provide a total of about $143 million in substance abuse treatment funding in the current fiscal year. That’s a projected increase in substance abuse funding in the state of more than $26 million.

The department says all 24 Maryland counties experienced increases in the number of Medicaid enrollees.

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