State Legal Restrictions and Prescription-Opioid Use among Disabled Adults

In this analysis of Medicare data and a data set of state laws, adoption of legislation to restrict the prescribing and dispensing of opioid medications was not associated with reductions in potentially hazardous use of opioids among disabled Medicare beneficiaries. States have responded to rising rates of prescription-opioid overdose by adopting laws that restrict the prescribing and dispensing of controlled substances. In 2010, after the adoption of many new controlled-substance restrictions, rates of prescription-opioid overdose dipped slightly before reaching a historic high in 2014. 1 – 3 The relationship between legal restrictions and prescription-opioid use remains unclear, because previous research evaluated one or two laws, short time periods, or few states. 4 – 6 Comprehensive national analyses of controlled-substance restrictions and prescription-opioid use do not yet exist. Successful regulation of prescription opioids involves a difficult balance. Well-designed laws may reduce misuse and overdose. However, . . .