This is an academic paper that provides a framing for understanding addiction that can mitigate blame and stigma while also acknowledging the moral dimension of addictive behavior. 

This report from the CDC analyzes provisional data for nearly half of the states in the United States from the first half of 2019. Preliminary results show that nearly a third of overdose deaths involved opioids and stimulants, 80% of overdose deaths involved opioids (mostly fentanyl), and three out of five overdose deaths had a documented potential opportunity to deliver overdose prevention services. 

This is a report from the CDC that shows the increase of syringe service programs (SSP) offering overdose education and naloxone education (OEND) over time. 94% of SSPs were offering OEND in 2019, up from 55% in 2013. However, there is geographic variation, with southeastern states and middle Atlantic states still lagging behind despite high overdose death rates. 

This is a report from the Vera Institute of Justice that serves as a resource for jurisdictions seeking to rethink how they respond to drug use. It describes a range of approaches that exist at the intersection of health and criminal justice, highlights several innovative programs, and provides recommendations for shifting practice and drug policy.

This is a website from the Health In Justice Action Lab that addresses many myths surrounding the opioid crisis that increase stigma, such as fentanyl exposure by first responders, misunderstandings of medications for opioid use disorder, and misinformed push back to harm reduction strategies, as well as an emphasize on the language we use to describe the opioid crisis.  

This report was generated through a legislative mandate by linking multiple data sets in Massachusetts. The aim was to better understand the opioid problem and those at most risk.

The prevalence of opioid use disorder, as well as nonfatal and fatal overdoses, are estimated and at-risk populations are identified. The results of this report are able to inform policy and stimulate research. 

This report details recommendations for the US government on how to optimize mandatory and discretionary spending on opioid related population health outcomes. The author's recommendations fall under the four categories of mandatory spending, discretionary spending, data and metrics, and governance. 

This academic paper conducted a review of economic evaluations of community distribution of naloxone, specifically assessing quality and applicability to diverse contexts and settings. Community distribution of naloxone is a core component of harm reduction strategies. The authors concluded that these programs are cost-effective and a worthwhile investment. 

This is an academic paper that gives an overview of the HEALing Communities Study to address the opioid crisis, with a focus on how this multistate, community-engaged research project used community coalitions to tailor evidence-based practices to meet the unique needs of the communities involved in the study. 

This is a presentation from the South East Area Health Education Center (SEAHEC) in Wilmington, NC that describes the collaborative nature of the community opioid response in this area. There is specific focus on the different types of stakeholders involved. 

This is a report from the World Health Organization (WHO) that provides guidelines that aim to reduce the number of deaths from opioid overdose by providing evidence-based recommendations on the availability of naloxone for people likely to witness an opioid overdose along with advice on the resuscitation and post-resuscitation care of opioid overdose in the community.

This is an academic paper that assessed community readiness in counties in North Carolina and its relationship to county-level opioid-related mortality and morbidity. Community readiness has been linked to collective action from communities to implement comprehensive responses to the public health issue. Findings indicate that counties with higher opioid-related mortality also had higher community readiness.