Substance use & misuse
-
Substance use & misuse · Dec 2017
Opioid Misuse Trends in Treatment Seeking Populations: Revised Prescription Opioid Policy and Temporally Corresponding Changes.
Over the last two decades, U.S. rates of prescription opioid (PO) misuse have risen drastically. In response, federal and state governments have begun to implement new PO policies. Recent legislative changes warrant up-to-date assessments of today's misuse rates. ⋯ Relative to the pre-policy cohort, a greater percentage of the post-policy cohort reported recent misuse, daily use, and intravenous administration of POs. IO use was also more frequently reported post-policy. Non-opioid drug use prevalence did not significantly differ between cohorts. Among the opioid-using subsample, equivalent percentages of the pre- and post-policy cohorts reported the use of POs without IOs, IOs without POs, and POs/IOs concurrently. Conclusions/Importance: Florida's PO policy amendments were temporally accompanied by a higher prevalence of PO misuse and IO use among treatment-seekers assessed in this study. Whether our data reflect increased awareness of and treatment seeking for opioid use disorders or insufficient efficacy of new policies to reduce opioid misuse remains in question. Regardless, findings suggest the need for enhanced emphasis on mitigating hazardous PO-use behaviors (e.g., IV use).
-
Substance use & misuse · Dec 2017
The Curious (Dis)Connection between the Opioid Epidemic and Crime.
Drug epidemics often bring with them an accompanying rise in crime. The heroin wave of the 1970's and crack crisis of the 1980's were each accompanied by major gun violence, including large numbers of murders and violent property crimes. The current United States opioid epidemic, however, has not been associated with either a rise in homicide or in property crime. ⋯ While the drugs-crime connection has always been far more nuanced than the way it is typically portrayed, there wasn't such a glaring disconnect between reality and mythology during the drug epidemics of the 1970's and 1980's. The mystery of the missing opioid crime explosion offers unique insight into the myths and realities of drug addiction. To explore this issue further, this commentary briefly summarizes the drugs-crime connection, contrasts the current opioid crisis with drug epidemics of the past, and provides possible explanations for the absence of an opioid-fueled crime wave.