Opioid Misuse and Overdose Prevention
Opioids, both prescription painkillers and illegal drugs such as heroin and illicitly manufactured fentanyl, are responsible for most of the 52,000 deaths of Americans every year from overdose. States and localities have implemented a number of legal and regulatory interventions to address this epidemic.
Resources
Legality of Dispensing Naloxone to Minors in Maryland
Substance Use Prevention and Harm ReductionHarm Reduction Legal Project ResourcesHarm Reduction Legal ProjectOpioid Misuse and Overdose Prevention
Legal Interventions to Reduce Overdose Mortality: Naloxone Access and Good Samaritan laws
Opioid Misuse and Overdose Prevention
Naloxone Access and Overdose Good Samaritan Law in Ohio
Opioid Misuse and Overdose Prevention
Indian Health Service and Military Medical Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Requirements
Substance Use Prevention and Harm ReductionOpioid Misuse and Overdose PreventionTribal Health
Litigation Against Opioid Manufacturers: Lessons from the Tobacco Wars
Opioid Misuse and Overdose PreventionSubstance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction
Legal Interventions to Increase Access to Naloxone in Indiana
Opioid Misuse and Overdose Prevention
Overdose Reporting Requirements
Substance Use Prevention and Harm ReductionOpioid Misuse and Overdose Prevention
South Carolina Overdose Prevention Legislation
Opioid Misuse and Overdose Prevention
Drug Overdose Prevention in Pennsylvania
Opioid Misuse and Overdose PreventionExplore more sub-topics related to Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction
Spotlight
Overdose “Good Samaritan” Laws Should Protect, Not Punish
Substance Use Prevention and Harm ReductionOpioid Misuse and Overdose PreventionHarm Reduction Legal ProjectHarm Reduction Legal Project Resources
Federal Restrictions on Funding for Syringe Services Programs
Substance Use Prevention and Harm ReductionHarm Reduction Legal ProjectOpioid Misuse and Overdose Prevention
Select Jurisdictional Examples of Expanded Naloxone Access
Substance Use Prevention and Harm ReductionOpioid Misuse and Overdose PreventionHarm Reduction Legal ProjectHarm Reduction Legal Project ResourcesLearn More
Opioid Misuse and Overdose
Opioids
The United States remains in the grip of an unprecedented epidemic of drug-related harm. In 2017, over 70,000 Americans were killed by drug overdose, surpassing the number lost at the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis. Opioids, both prescription painkillers and illegal drugs such as heroin and illicitly manufactured fentanyl, are responsible for most of these deaths.
States and localities have implemented a number of legal and regulatory interventions to address this epidemic. These include the creation and strengthening of prescription monitoring programs (PMPs), drug take-back programs and initiatives to increase access to naloxone, a medication that effectively reverses opioid overdose. States are also taking measures to increase access to evidence-based substance use disorder treatment, improve prescriber training, and evaluate whether existing programs are having the desired effect.
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