— Study sheds brand-new light on effect of drug decriminalization policy
by Emily Hutto, Associate Video Producer
September 6, 2024
In this video interview, Brandon del Pozo, PhD, MPA, MA, of Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University in Providence, discusses his brand-new short article in JAMA Network Openwhich examined whether drug decriminalization in Oregon was the reason for the boost in the state’s overdose deaths.
The following is a records of his remarks:
My name is Brandon del Pozo. I’m an assistant teacher of medication and public health at Brown University, and the short article we released is “Drug Decriminalization, Fentanyl, and Fatal Overdoses in Oregon.”
The reason we performed this research study is we understood that Oregon was intending on rolling back drug decriminalization. It was the very first state in the nation to attempt to legalize individual drug belongings, and when it did, overdoses increased. Among the huge reviews of its decriminalization efforts was this obvious association in between doing it and a huge spike in overdose deaths.
What we recognized was that fentanyl is most likely– it is, not most likely– it’s the number one motorist of overdose death in America. And fentanyl did not spread out throughout the nation at one time; it made its method throughout the nation.
The goal of the research study was to figure out when fentanyl struck Oregon and if fentanyl accounted for the boost in overdose deaths more so than decriminalization did.
What we discovered is truly fascinating. We discovered top, that overdoses did skyrocket in Oregon around the time that decriminalization happened. We likewise discovered that when you look at the method fentanyl made its method throughout the nation– and we utilized the state-level drug laboratory records sent to the federal government as a proxy for fentanyl taking a trip throughout the U.S.– we discovered that around 2014 it began actually striking New England, however it truly didn’t reach the Pacific Northwest till about 2021. And 2021, the start, the very first part of 2021 was when Oregon legalized, however it was likewise when fentanyl tipped the illegal drug market in Washington, in Oregon, in California. At the very same time– like horrible, regrettable t