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Official crime rates and hospital figures give an insight into drug abuse across the US, but the data Google reaps can also reveal just how prevalent the spread of an illicit substance truly is.

A team of researchers used Google Trends, which tracks trending topics over time, to see how the popularity of different drugs has changed in the country over the past decade.

It found that searches for crystal meth are steadily rising, heroin is considered an 'epidemic' in Pennsylvania, and prescription drugs such as Xanax and Adderall dominate the south.

Witdrawal.net used Google Trends to track the popularity of drug searches since 2004 (pictured), including methamphetamine, cocaine, Xanax, Adderall and heroin. Between 2004 and 2008, the popularity of cocaine and meth is shown. From 2006, searches for heroin increased in Maryland and Utah, in particular

The graphics were created by detox and rehab site Withdrawal.net.

A team of researchers used the trending tool to track the popularity of drug searches since 2004, including methamphetamine (crystal meth), cocaine, Xanax, Adderall and heroin.

The team then plotted the most searched for drugs across the US.

Between 2004 and 2008, the popularity of cocaine and methamphetamine (meth) is shown across the US, with states switching between the two over the course of each year.

Methamphetamine was reported as one of the most commonly abused drugs during the 2000s, and with a lower street price and a more intense high, meth surpassed cocaine as it swept across middle America.

From 2006, searches for heroin increased in Maryland and Utah, in particular.

Searches for Xanax first appeared in around 2009, and grew in popularity until around 2012, when they dipped, before rising again a year later.

In 2010, Adderall, a prescription stimulant, became a popular substance of abuse.

After its 2005 to 2006 peak, interest in meth then once again soared.

In particular, 2013 and 2014 were the years when searches for meth took over the US, especially the west, while Adderall dominated the eastern states.

And as addictive prescription painkillers have become more tightly regulated, heroin has become an increasingly popular substitute in Pennsylvania and Oregon.

Another graph shows that cocaine has consistently been the most searched for drug across the US for the past decade.

Adderall was the only drug that came close to the number of cocaine searches between 2011 and 2012.

Heroin was steadily searched for from 2004 until 2011, at which point searches began to rise and peaked in 2014. 

Meth and LSD are searched for more than any other drugs in Los Angeles, California (pictured). Since Colorado legalised the recreational use of marijuana in 2012, cannabis-related searches have risen in Denver. In Pennsylvania, heroin is the most popular drug, and cocaine is popular in New York

This graph shows that cocaine has consistently been the most searched for drug across the US for the past decade. Adderall was the only drug that came close to the number of cocaine searches between 2011 and 2012. Heroin was steadily searched for from 2004 until 2011, at which point searches rose, and peaked in 2014

At the height of the meth epidemic in 2005 and 2006, it was the single most searched for drug in dozens of states.

The chart also shows that searches for all the drugs studied have been rising since the end of 2009, except cocaine which decreased in popularity, rose in 2012, before dropping again.

Searches for the anxiety medication Xanax have also risen throughout the midwest and south, at the same time that Xanax-related hospital visits have doubled across the country over the past six years.

The researchers also plotted the most popular searches for specific drugs in select states.

For example, meth and LSD are searched for more than any other drugs in Los Angeles, California.

Since Colorado legalised the recreational use of marijuana in 2012, cannabis-related searches have risen in Denver.

In Pennsylvania, heroin is the most popular drug, while in Massachusetts, the most searches are made for Suboxone - an opiate replacement drug.

In March last year, Dr Richard Ng was charged with illegally prescribing the drug, which may explain a surge in searches.

Adderall is most commonly searched for in New Orleans, cocaine is the most prolific drug in New York, and OxyContin and magic mushrooms are popular in Seattle.

Painkiller oxycodone is popular in Virginia, and people in Florida search for MDMA. 

Searches for the anxiety medication Xanax (stock image pictured left) have also risen throughout the midwest and south, at the same time that Xanax-related hospital visits have doubled over six years. Painkiller oxycodone (stock image right) is popular in Virginia, and people in Florida search the most for MDMA

In Pennsylvania, heroin is the most searched for drug, while in Massachusetts, the most searches are made for Suboxone -  an opiate replacement drug (stock image). In March last year, Dr Richard Ng was charged with illegally prescribing the drug, which may explain a surge in searches

The information used to create the graphs came from Google Trends, which tells users the relative popularity over time of searches for up to five different search phrases.

For the GIF, the researchers found the most searched for substance in each state for every month since January 2004 by limiting the view in Google Trends to that state.

They then manually recorded which terms or phrases had the highest score for each month.

States that didn't have enough search volume during certain months were labelled 'N/A.'  

To identify the top cities for each search term in Google Trends, the team looked at the Regional Interest section, filtered by city for each substance, and recorded the city with the highest regional interest score.

These scores are not based on the total search volume from that city, but instead reflect search volume per capita.