Fentanyl Test Strips
This Fact Sheet sets forth how fentanyl test strips work as a drug checking tool, their harm reduction benefits, and the current challenges surrounding their legality....
Controlled Substances
Most States Have Good Samaritan Laws and Research Indicates They May Have Positive Effects
April 19, 2021
| Controlled Substances, First Responders, Naloxone, Opioids, Prescription Drugs, Public Health, Public Safety, Reports & Studies
In recent years, some states have enacted Good Samaritan and Naloxone Access laws to help reduce overdose deaths and respond to opioid overdoses.The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 included a provision for GAO to review these laws. This report addresses the following: (1) the efforts ONDCP has taken to collect and disseminate information on Good Samaritan and Naloxone Access laws, (2) the extent to which states, territories, and D.C. have these laws and the characteristics of them, and (3) what research indicates concerning the effects of Good Samaritan laws.To answer these questions, GAO collected and reviewed ONDCP documents and interviewed agency officials. GAO also reviewed and analyzed selected characteristics of jurisdictions' Good Samaritan and Naloxone Access laws. Further, GAO conducted a literature review of empirical studies published from 2010 through May 2020 that examined the effects of Good Samaritan laws....
Fentanyl Cleanup
This Fact Sheet provides information about the synthetic opioid fentanyl, and the complex cleanup process required in areas where fentanyl contamination has occurred....
New and Emerging Drugs of Abuse
March 21, 2021
| Controlled Substances, Fact Sheets, Opioids, Prescription Drugs, Public Health, Public Safety, Substance Misuse, Synthetic Drugs
This Fact Sheet provides information about new and emerging drugs of abuse, which are not controlled by international drug conventions, but nonetheless can pose a significant threat to public health and safety....
Pay for Success Funding Initiative
February 24, 2021
| Controlled Substances, Fact Sheets, Public Health, Public Safety, Recovery, Substance Misuse
This Fact Sheet provides information about Pay for Success Funding Initiatives, which involve, at a minimum, four parties: (1) the service provider/social program; (2) an investor or investors; (3) an independent evaluator; and (4) a traditional funder or “outcomes payor,” usually a branch of federal, state, or local government....
Overdose Fatality Review Boards: State Laws
February 15, 2021
| Legal & Legislative Research, Opioids, Prescription Drugs, Public Health, Public Safety
This document provides a state-by-state review of laws related to overdose fatality review boards....
Model Overdose Fatality Review Teams Act
Overdose fatality review (OFR) is a powerful tool that can be used to identify and respond to community-specific patterns related to drug overdose deaths. LAPPA’s Model Overdose Fatality Review Teams Act was written in consultation with a host of subject matter experts and creates a legislative framework for establishing county-level, multidisciplinary OFR teams in individual states. While overdose deaths occur nationally, OFRs established at the local level allow for the identification of challenges unique to a local area. This Model Act addresses the duties, responsibilities, and composition of OFR teams in order for them to properly examine and understand the circumstances leading up to a fatal overdose....
Peer Respites as an Alternative to Hospitalization
February 8, 2021
| Controlled Substances, Fact Sheets, Public Health, Public Safety, Recovery, Substance Misuse
This fact sheet examines peer respites, which are voluntary, short-term programs, usually overnight, that provide community-based, non-clinical support to individuals experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, a psychiatric crisis....
Polypharmacy and the Elderly: Reducing the Risk of Adverse Events Through Monitoring and Communication
January 13, 2021
| Controlled Substances, Fact Sheets, Pharmacy, Public Health, Public Safety, Substance Misuse
This fact sheet examines polypharmacy, which is defined as the concurrent use of several prescribed medications. ...
Crisis Assistance Helping Out on the Streets (CAHOOTS)
August 27, 2020
| Controlled Substances, Innovative Initiatives, Public Health, Public Safety, Recovery, Substance Misuse
The CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out on the Streets) mobile crisis intervention program responds to non-police emergencies in the cities of Eugene and Springfield, Oregon. CAHOOTS teams are staffed by a medic and a mental health crisis worker, and receive over 500 hours of training, which includes education on de-escalation and crisis intervention. ...