How is opioid use associated with health, other substance use, involvement in criminal justice system?

A public health approach to address the opioid epidemic in the United States needs to understand the populations of people affected, including their health, other substance use and any involvement they may have with the criminal justice system, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open.  This study examined that using data from the 2015-2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Researchers found people who reported any level of opioid use were more likely than those who reported no opioid use to have physical and mental health conditions, other substance use, and involvement in the criminal justice system that increased with the intensity of opioid use.

The study’s lead author Tyler Winkelman, MD, MSc, is an internist, pediatrician and health services researcher at Hennepin Healthcare-HCMC and Assistant Professor in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota.

Read the study in JAMA Network Open