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OPTIC

A National Resource for Opioid Policy Science

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Note from the Director

Brad Stein

Welcome to the inaugural issue of OPTIC's newsletter. The mission of the Opioid Policy Tools and Information Center is to be a national resource, improving opioid policy science by developing and disseminating new information, tools, and methods. In our work, we are learning to think of the opioid crisis as an ecosystem, where policies targeting one dimension often ripple throughout the system. We need ways to identify which policies work and for whom, why some work better than others, and which well-intentioned policies have unintended negative consequences. And we need to share these answers quickly with our research colleagues, federal and state policymakers, and community stakeholders. These are the goals that inform the Center's work. In this issue of the newsletter, we highlight some of OPTIC's research work as well as important contributions from colleagues across the country. We welcome your feedback at OPTIC@rand.org. – Bradley Stein

Recent OPTIC Products

Close up of a newborn leg viewed through an incubator, photo by Kwangmoozaa/Getty Images

Photo by Kwangmoozaa/Getty Images

The Ecology of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

Opioid-exposed newborns are more likely in counties with high rates of long-term unemployment and few mental health services. An interactive tool created by Vanderbilt University and the RAND Corporation explores the effects of policies to address the problem. Read more »

Pen, prescription, and spilled bottle of white pills, photo by Gti337/Getty Images

Photo by Gti337/Getty Images

Supply-Side Consequences of OxyContin Reformulation

The recent heroin epidemic is largely due to the reformulation of OxyContin in 2010. Read more »

A pharmacist fills a Suboxone prescription at Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program in Massachusetts, January 14, 2013, photo by Brian Snyder/Reuters

Photo by Brian Snyder/Reuters

Examining Trends and Disparities in Treatment for Opioid Use Disorders

Increased access to medication treatment for opioid use disorder was greater in wealthier and whiter counties. Read more »

Patient being wheeled into the emergency room, photo by JazzIRT/Getty Images

Photo by JazzIRT/Getty Images

Post-Overdose Prescribing in West Virginia

Fewer than 10% of West Virginia Medicaid enrollees received medication for opioid use disorder after a non-fatal overdose. Read more »

Prescription pill bottle on its side with white pills spilling out, photo by WoodysPhotos/Getty Images

Photo by WoodysPhotos/Getty Images

How the Opioid Crisis Is Driving the Rise in Hepatitis C

Reformulating OxyContin to reduce its abuse led directly to increased hepatitis C infections as drug abusers switched from the prescription medication to injectable heroin. Read more »

View all publications »

Commentary and Press

Opioid-Dependent Newborns in My West Virginia Hometown Point to a Path Out of Drug Crisis

Study Links Long-Term Unemployment to Increase in Babies Born with Opioid Withdrawal

Opioids and Hepatitis C: How OxyContin Fed a New Epidemic

Reformulation of OxyContin to Discourage Abuse Linked to Higher Rates of Hepatitis C Infections

Opioids and a Crisis of Unintended Consequences

Heroin mortality data point

80% of the increase in

Heroin mortality

since 2010 may be due to the reformulation of OxyContin. (RAND Corporation)

National Perspectives

A national sampling of thought-provoking research and insights

Assessing The Impact Of State Policies For Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs On High-Risk Opioid Prescriptions - Bao Y, Pan Y, Taylor A, Radakrishnan, Luo F, Pincus HA, Schackman BR. Health Affairs

Association of Pharmaceutical Industry Marketing of Opioid Products With Mortality From Opioid-Related Overdoses - Hadland, S. E., Rivera-Aguirre, A., Marshall, B. D., & Cerdá, M. JAMA Open Network

Changing Dynamics of the Drug Overdose Epidemic in the United States from 1979 Through 2016 - Jalal H, Buchanich JM, Roberts MS, Balmert LC, Zhang K, Burke DS. Science

Drivers of the Fatal Drug Epidemic - Ruhm CJ. Journal of Health Economics

Evidence for Addressing the Opioid Epidemic: Rounding Out the Picture - Colleen Barry and Richard Frank. Brookings Institution

Impact of Medicaid Restrictions on Availability of Buprenorphine in Addiction Treatment Programs - Andrews CM, Abraham AJ, Grogan CM, Westlake MA, Pollack HA, Friedmann PD. American Journal of Public Health

The Jail Health-Care Crisis - Steve Coll. The New Yorker

Medicaid Expansion and Prescription Trends: Opioids, Addiction Therapies, and Other Drugs - Cher BAY, Morden NE, Meara E. Medical Care

Mitigating Health Risks of Prescription Drugs: Lessons From FDA Oversight of Opioid Products - Sarpatwari A, Curfman G. JAMA

The Opioid Dilemma: Saving Lives in the Long Run Can Take Lives in the Short Run - Austin Frakt. The New York Times

Pharmaceutical Payments to Physicians May Increase Prescribing for Opioids - Nguyen TD, Bradford WD, Simon KI. Addiction

Prescription Opioids and Labor Market Pains: The Effect of Schedule II Opioids on Labor Force Participation and Unemployment - Harris, M.C., Kessler, L.M., Murray, M.N. and Glenn, B. Journal of Human Resources

Prevention and Treatment of Opioid Misuse and Addiction: A Review - Volkow MD, Jones EB, Einstein EB. JAMA Psychiatry

Forthcoming Presentations

March 26, 2019
Finding the Most At-Risk: Linking Health and Criminal Justice Data to Predict Opioid Overdose presentation at Health Policy Management Seminar Series, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health - Brandon Saloner

April 24 - May 1, 2019
Neonatal abstinence syndrome presentation at Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting, Baltimore, MD - Stephen Patrick

May 15 - 16, 2019
Keynote address at Researched Abuse, Diversion and Addiction-Related Surveillance (RADARS) System 13th Annual Scientific Meeting and International Pre-Symposium, Silver Spring, MD - Rosalie Pacula

May 21, 2019
Impact of Marijuana on Opioid Use and Pain: A Translational Overview presentation at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA - Rosanna Smart

May 22 - 24, 2019
Workshop on improving the creation and use of legal data for research on drug policy, presentation on impact of opioid policy on prescribing, and presentation on the supply of illicit fentanyl at the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy (ISSDP), Paris, France - Rosalie Pacula and Scott Burris (PDAPs), Sara Heins, Bryce Pardo

May 31 - June 1, 2019
Sexual minority disparities in opioid misuse, perceived heroin risk and heroin access among a national sample of U.S. adults presentation at LGBT Health Conference, Emory University - Megan Schuler

June 2 - 4, 2019
Association Among County-Level Economic Factors, Clinician Supply, Metropolitan or Rural Location, and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome presentation at AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting, Washington DC - Bradley Stein

June 18, 2019
Spillover Effects of the Opioid Epidemic on Consumer Finance presentation at the Western Finance Association Conference, Huntington Beach, CA - Rosanna Smart

June 25, 2019
Emerging Issues in the Evaluation of Opioid Policies session featuring three papers: Problems in Defining and Evaluating State Opioid Policies: Insights from RAND's OPTIC Center, The Dynamics of Local Opioid Markets and Their Response to State Policies, and The State of the Statistical Science for Evaluating Opioid Policies: Findings from Simulations at the American Society of Health Economists Annual Conference (ASHEcon), Washington DC - Rosalie Pacula, Rosanna Smart, and David Powell

Oct 16 - 19, 2019
Statistical Methods Preconference Courses at 2019 Addiction Health Services (AHSR) Conference, Park City, UT - Beth Ann Griffin

Leadership

Brad Stein

Bradley Stein

Director

Rosalie Liccardo Pacula

Rosalie Liccardo Pacula

Codirector

Beth Ann Griffin

Beth Ann Griffin

Codirector

 

OPTIC is designed to be a national resource, fostering innovative and high-quality research in opioid policy science, and developing and disseminating methods, tools, and information to the research community, policymakers, and other stakeholders.

http://www.rand.org/OPTIC

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