New report on synthetic opioids
|
The Surge of Fentanyl and Other Synthetic Opioids | Web version
|
|
|
Congressional alert
August 14, 2019
|
|
|
|
|
|
Photo by Andrew Kelly/Reuters
|
|
|
How is the illicit flow of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids impacting communities across the United States? A recent RAND report examined mortality and seizure data at the state level across several drug classes to better understand the evolution and concentration of overdose fatalities in the United States.
This report found that seizures of fentanyl and overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids have increased over time but remain geographically concentrated, with parts of Appalachia and New England most severely affected. The spatial concentration of synthetic opioid overdose deaths implies that there are a lot of markets that synthetic opioids have not yet entered in force but might in the future.
|
Synthetic Opioid Overdose Death Rate per 100,000 People by State, 2014 and 2017
|
|
NOTE: States in gray only have fair overdose reporting quality and are not reported.
|
|
|
The top jurisdictions with the highest synthetic opioid death rates in 2017 are, in order: West Virginia (34 per 100.000), Ohio (30.2), New Hampshire (27.8), District of Columbia (26.2) Maryland (25.5), Massachusetts (24), Maine (20.8), Connecticut (19.1), and Rhode Island (19).
The report also found that there have been sharp increases in the share of heroin or cocaine overdoses that mention synthetic opioids. Nationally, half of cocaine overdose deaths also include mention of synthetic opioids, suggesting that people who use stimulants are increasingly exposed and at high risk of overdose. Examples of interventions aimed specifically at reducing the risk of overdose in people who use stimulants include:
|
- Public alerts or education about this risk
- Investment in the development of better fentanyl testing strips
- Distribution of naloxone beyond traditional opioid-using groups, including to people who do not intend to use opioids
|
|
For questions or to discuss this work, please contact Jared Perkins. |
|
|
RAND Congressional Resources Staff
|
|
|
|
|
Experts and Research Available to You
|
|
Members of Congress and staff can receive free copies of RAND reports and engage with researchers. To request reports, briefings, or meetings, or to invite researchers to testify, please contact:
ocr@rand.org or
(703) 413-1100, ext. 5643. |
|
|
|
|
Policy Currents is a weekly overview of RAND research and analysis on today’s most pressing issues. Available as both a newsletter and a five-minute podcast, Policy Currents helps you better understand the world.
Subscribe to the newsletter or podcast.
|
|
|
|
|
The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. We serve the public interest by helping lawmakers reach informed decisions on the nation's pressing challenges.
www.rand.org/congress
|
|
|
|
Privacy statement
|
 |
RAND Corporation. 1776 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401-3208.
RAND® is a registered trademark.
|
|
|
|
|
