Citation

Vandoros S. Am. J. Epidemiol. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston MA, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Oxford University Press)

DOI

10.1093/aje/kwaa016

PMID

32077473

Abstract

Opioid overdose mortality has been increasing in the US, and other types of mortality, such as car crash deaths may also be linked to opioid use. In this issue of the Journal, Feder et al. (Am J Epidemiol. XXXX(XX):XXXX-XXXX)) examine the association between Florida's opioid crackdown laws and opioid-related mortality. They found a decrease in opioid overdose and car crash deaths compared to what would have been expected in the absence of such policies. The study found no evidence of any unintended increase in suicides due to poor pain management as a result of the policy. The results are robust to alternative methodological approaches. Florida's opioid policy reforms coincided with the State's convergence towards national unemployment rates, as well as a new text-driving law. As opioid overdose mortality is often associated with economic conditions, and car crashes and suicides may also be linked to the macroeconomic environment, future research can take into account such factors when studying the outcomes of opioid prescribing laws. Other data-related aspects to consider is the misclassification of suicides as car crashes or opioid overdoses. Overall, the findings by Feder et al. are encouraging and can inform policy in other countries facing increasing opioid overdose deaths.

© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Language: en

Keywords

Opioid overdose mortality; car crashes; economic environment; suicide