Opioids

June 28, 2024 | Controlled Substances, Fetal and Infant Health, Legal & Legislative Research, Maternal Health, Opioids, Prescription Drugs, Substance Misuse, Treatments

In this document, the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association (LAPPA) examines state-level statutes and regulations related to substance use during pregnancy and whether such use during pregnancy is considered child abuse or neglect in the jurisdiction. ...

May 12, 2024 | Emergency Departments, First Responders, Harm Reduction, Innovative Initiatives, Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), Opioid Antagonists, Opioid Antagonists, Opioids, Public Health, Recovery, Substance Misuse, Treatments

Paramedics in the State of New Jersey are permitted to carry and administer buprenorphine to treat acute withdrawal symptoms after having had an opioid overdose reversed with naloxone. The directive, via Executive Order from the State Health Commissioner, simply added buprenorphine to the list of medications available to paramedics in the MICUs and required officials in each county to train paramedics on the protocol. ...

April 11, 2024 | Controlled Substances, Criminal Justice, Harm Reduction, Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), Naloxone, Opioid Antagonists, Opioids, Prescription Drugs, Public Health, Public Safety, Recovery, Reports & Studies, Substance Misuse, Treatments

The Addiction and Public Policy Initiative at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law was established in 2018 through a generous grant from Arnold Ventures. Housed at Georgetown Law, the Addiction and Public Policy Initiative works at the intersection of public health and the law to advance a public health approach to substance use disorder and the overdose epidemic through legal and policy strategies that promote evidence-based treatment, harm reduction, and recovery. This reports highlights O'Neill's accomplishments over the last five years....

April 9, 2024 | Emergency Departments, First Responders, Innovative Initiatives, Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), Opioids, Public Health, Recovery, Substance Misuse, Treatments

The Coordinated Opioid Recovery (CORE) Network, overseen by the Florida Department of Health, the Florida Department of Children and Families, and the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration establishes a system of care for individuals suffering from substance use disorder (SUD). CORE provides a state-supported, coordinated system of addiction care for individuals with SUD and has provided approximately 550,000 services to support patients since its inception in 2022....

March 26, 2024 | Controlled Substances, Fact Sheets, Opioids, Prescription Drugs, Public Health, Public Safety

The first U.S. reports of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl emerged in a handful of jurisdictions in 2015 and by October 2019, all U.S. jurisdictions reported them. One reason for the proliferation is the ease with which drug traffickers can enter this market. With only a few thousand dollars, a person can purchase a pill press, pill molds, and dies that mimic trademarked pharmaceuticals and enough illicitly imported fentanyl to generate $5 to $20 million in sellable counterfeit pills. Given the simple manufacturing process and low startup costs, counterfeiting is an attractive area for drug traffickers, albeit one that creates substantial health risks to consumers. Despite this, however, there are relatively few federal or state laws governing access to pill press machines, and those that exist do not provide for substantial oversight or assessment. In this fact sheet, the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association reviews: (1) what pill presses are and how people obtain them; (2) why fentanyl is an often-used drug in counterfeit pills and the health concerns this poses; and (3) the limited, currently-in-force, applicable state and federal laws....

March 18, 2024 | Fact Sheets, Novel Psychoactive Substances, Opioids, Public Safety, Stimulants, Substance Misuse, Synthetic Drugs

The Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association is monitoring the emergence of novel psychoactive substances appearing on the illicit drug market in the United States. The term “novel” does not denote a new, never-before-seen substance but rather a substance that is newly available in the drug market. This fact sheet,  examines xylazine, a powerful veterinary sedative increasingly appearing as an adulterant in heroin and fentanyl mixtures in the U.S., particularly since 2020. Xylazine has a chemical structure similar to compounds called phenothiazines and operates by decreasing the release of norepinephrine and dopamine in the central nervous system, resulting in analgesia, sedation, and muscle relaxation. Xylazine intoxication can result in central nervous system depression, low blood pressure, and slow heart rate. Respiratory depression can also occur, which increases the risk of overdose when combined with opioid-induced respiratory depression. ...

August 4, 2023 | Controlled Substances, Criminal Justice, Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), Opioids, Recovery, Reports & Studies, Substance Misuse, Treatments

This report from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, details guidelines that local government officials, jail administrators, correctional officers, and health care professionals can use in providing effective health care for adults who are sentenced or awaiting sentencing to jail, awaiting court action on a current charge, or being held in custody for other reasons....

June 6, 2023 | Opioids, Public Health, Reports & Studies, Substance Misuse

The content of this blog post is part of the USC-Brookings Institute Schaeffer initiative for Health Policy, a partnership between Economic Studies at Brookings and the University of Southern California Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics. Researchers concluded that effects of the opioid epidemic in the United States have been far-reaching, not just in terms of  health impacts, but also as far as implications for the U.S. economy....