The Association between Florida's Opioid Crackdown and Opioid-Related Mortality: The Role of Economic Factors and Mortality Misclassification.

The Association between Florida's Opioid Crackdown and Opioid-Related Mortality: The Role of Economic Factors and Mortality Misclassification. Am J Epidemiol. 2020 Feb 20;: Authors: Vandoros S Abstract Opioid overdose mortality has been increasing in the US, and other types of mortality, such as car crash deaths may also be linked to opioid use. In this issue of the Journal, Feder et al. (Am J Epidemiol. XXXX(XX):XXXX-XXXX)) examine the association between Florida's opioid crackdown laws and opioid-related mortality. They found a decrease in opioid overdose and car crash deaths compared to what would have been expected in the absence of such policies. The study found no evidence of any unintended increase in suicides due to poor pain management as a result of the policy. The results are robust to alternative methodological approaches. Florida's opioid policy reforms coincided with the State's convergence towards national unemployment rates, as well as a new text-driving law. As opioid overdose mortality is often associated with economic conditions, and car crashes and suicides may also be linked to the macroeconomic environment, future research can take into account such factors when studying the outcomes of opioid prescribing laws. Other data-related aspects to consider is the misclassification of suicides as car crashes or opioid overdoses. Overall, the findings by Feder et al. are encouraging and can inform policy in other countri...
Source: Am J Epidemiol - Category: Epidemiology Authors: Tags: Am J Epidemiol Source Type: research