 Preliminary data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that between November 2017 and March 2018, drug overdose deaths have dropped for the first time in years. The decline was caused by a drop in the number of overdose deaths from both heroin and “natural and semi-synthetic opioids,” a category that includes most prescription opioids. Indiana’s numbers are also predicted to drop. However, public health experts warn against drawing firm conclusions based on six months of data as the ongoing addiction crisis is not limited to opioids, but also cocaine and stimulants — a group that includes methamphetamine — that are now killing more than 10,000 people a year.
A new study published by researchers from Brown University found that many young adults who were intravenous drug users and received fentanyl test strips reduced their overdose risk by using less of the drug, proceeding slower or using with someone else present. The fentanyl test strips are akin to over-the-counter pregnancy tests, where the strip is dipped into water containing a bit of drug residue, and after a minute, either one or two red lines appear — one line means the liquid contains fentanyl, and two lines means the test did not detect the drug. The study concludes that fentanyl test strips are an effective harm-reduction tool to prevent overdose.
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The National Governors Association (NGA) recently released a white paper on the lessons learned from states that used an emergency declaration to address the opioid epidemic. Emergency declarations and their accompanying powers give states flexibility to respond to exigent circumstances, including reallocating state funds, mandating data sharing, and strengthening collaboration among public health and law enforcement agencies. The paper includes conclusions such as the importance of having a debate on when the emergency should conclude before a declaration is made, as well as the importance of defining success as statutory emergency periods are not always long enough to see immediate results.
President Donald Trump signed a landmark bill intended to tackle the nation's opioid epidemic. The bill includes plans to expand recovery centers, curb illicit drug shipments, lift buprenorphine prescribing restrictions, allow the National Institutes of Health to more quickly pursue research projects related to non-addictive drugs for pain, and make changes to several Medicare and Medicaid regulations, such as expanding access to treatment.
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