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The Opioid Crisis, Health, Healthcare, and Crime: A Review of Quasi-Experimental Economic Studies

The Opioid Crisis, Health, Healthcare, and Crime: A Review of Quasi-Experimental Economic Studies We review quasi-experimental studies that examine the relationship of opioids to health, healthcare, and crime in the U.S. Our findings align with the general perception that the opioid crisis has negatively impacted health and increased healthcare costs; we find limited evidence that appropriate opioid use enhances work capacity or carries other benefits. Extant studies suggest that opioids also increase crime, although the link is not as strong as has been observed in previous drug epidemics. This finding is consistent with the fact that opioids are pharmacologically different than stimulant substances like cocaine that have dominated earlier drug epidemic periods. We argue that the healthcare system has a potentially important role to play in combatting the opioid crisis, largely through the provision of treatments that address underlying addiction, and through the development of strategies to effectively curtail access to the drugs. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science SAGE

The Opioid Crisis, Health, Healthcare, and Crime: A Review of Quasi-Experimental Economic Studies

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References (198)

Publisher
SAGE
Copyright
© 2022 by The American Academy of Political and Social Science
ISSN
0002-7162
eISSN
1552-3349
DOI
10.1177/00027162221149285
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

We review quasi-experimental studies that examine the relationship of opioids to health, healthcare, and crime in the U.S. Our findings align with the general perception that the opioid crisis has negatively impacted health and increased healthcare costs; we find limited evidence that appropriate opioid use enhances work capacity or carries other benefits. Extant studies suggest that opioids also increase crime, although the link is not as strong as has been observed in previous drug epidemics. This finding is consistent with the fact that opioids are pharmacologically different than stimulant substances like cocaine that have dominated earlier drug epidemic periods. We argue that the healthcare system has a potentially important role to play in combatting the opioid crisis, largely through the provision of treatments that address underlying addiction, and through the development of strategies to effectively curtail access to the drugs.

Journal

The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social ScienceSAGE

Published: Sep 1, 2022

Keywords: opioids; opioid use disorder; health; healthcare; crime

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