Replication Data for: Systematic evaluation of state policy interventions targeting the US opioid epidemic, 2007-2018

Are state drug policies associated with variation in opioid misuse, opioid use disorder and drug overdose mortality? In this serial cross-sectional study of state-level drug overdose mortality data and claims data from 29 million commercially-insured patients in the US between 2007 and 2018, state policies were associated with reduction in known indicators of prescription opioid misuse as well as overdose deaths due to prescription opioids. However, policies were also associated with increases in diagnosis of opioid use disorder and overdose as well as drug overdose mortality from illicit substances. Although existing policies are associated with reduced misuse of prescription opioids, they may have the unintended consequence of driving those with opioid use disorders to the illicit drug market and to alternative substances, inducing higher overdose mortality.

美国各州药物政策是否与阿片类药物滥用（opioid misuse）、阿片类使用障碍（opioid use disorder）及药物过量死亡（drug overdose mortality）的差异存在关联？本研究针对2007至2018年美国2900万商业保险参保患者的州级药物过量死亡数据与理赔数据（claims data）开展系列横断面研究（serial cross-sectional study），结果显示，州级药物政策与处方阿片类药物（prescription opioid）滥用的已知相关指标下降以及处方阿片类药物相关过量死亡减少存在关联。但与此同时，此类政策也与阿片类使用障碍、药物过量的诊断率上升，以及非法物质（illicit substances）相关的药物过量死亡率升高存在关联。尽管现有药物政策可有效降低处方阿片类药物的滥用情况，但也可能产生意料之外的负面效应：推动阿片类使用障碍患者转向非法毒品市场与替代物质，进而导致更高的药物过量死亡风险。