Opioid Control Laws Linked To 10% Drop in Domestic Violence Cases

The New Study Led by the University of South Florida Reveals Opioid Control Polies May Offer Broader Health Beneths, Including Reducing Institutes of Domestic Violence. Polycymakers Continue to Grapple with the Opioid Epidemic, This Study HighLights the Power of Research to Informative Public Policy.

The Research Driven by USF Doctoral Student Mingu Sun and Andrei Barbos, Associate Professor of Economics, Underscores How opioid abuse can cause Powerful Ripple Effect Across Society.

Published in Health EconomicsThe Study Analyzes The Impact on the Prevalence of Domestic Violence in Mandatory Access Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs. These Opioid Control Programs Require Health Care Providers to Consult the Centralized Database Before Prescription Opioids, Helping Prevent Patients From Obtaining Multiple Prescriptions from Multiple Doctors. In the Early 2010s, States Began Passing Laws That mandated the use of these databases after the centers for disease control and prevention and other agencies Said they were a key to combat misuse of opioids.

“The Staggered Rollout of These Programs Across the country of the Opportunity to Analyze Their Effects Over Time and Across Different Regons, Which Allowed Us to Isolate the Effects of These Opioid Control Programs on the Prevalence of Domestic Violence from Phher Factors, Such AS Economic AS Economic Cycles, Concurrent Policy Changes or Broader Crime Trends, “Barbos Said.

With data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System, They Compiled Reports from 31 States Between 2007 and 2019 to Create Controlled Models for Dynamic Variables Including Demographics, IncomLayment, Health Status, Insurance Coverage and Overlapping Regulations, Such AS Legalized Marijuana.

Sun and Barbos Found That These Opioid Control Programs Not Only Curb Misuse But contributed to 10% Reduction in the Prevalence of Simple Assaults, Which Account for Nearly 75% of Domestic Violence Incidents in the Data. Simple Assaults are Generally Defined as an attempt to cause physical ham to another person that does not envove a weapon or result in serious injury.

The Effect Was Strongest in States with the Highest Opioid Prescription Rates. According to the CDC, Southern States Consistency Exhibit Higher Rates–Reinforcing The Connection Between Opioid Access and Domestic Violence.

“Earlier Public Health Literature Document A Correlation Between Opioid Consumption and Domestic Violence, But Correlation Does Not Imply A Causal Relationship,” Barbos Said. “This Article Establishes The Causal Relationship and Provides Polycymakers with Evidence of An AddiTive Positive of Opioid Control Policies, Which May Also Be Relevant for the Polycy Design Surrounding The Current Fentanyl Crisis.”