This is an issue brief from the Network of Public Health Law that discusses mandatory stewardship programs as a way to increase appropriate drug disposal, thus decreasing non-medical opioid misuse in a community. In response to low rates of participation in voluntary drug take-back programs, several jurisdictions have enacted legislation to require drug manufacturers selling drugs in their state, counties, or cities to establish and operate product stewardship programs.

The brief focuses on outlining the first of these types of programs, started in Alameda County, California, and highlights similar programs that have been implemented. 

This is a report from New America and the Public Interest Technology (authors Lindemann and Coleman) documenting the efforts of the Opioid Mapping Initiative, including the national naloxone access map and the national prescription drop-off map.

The information provided In this report can provide valuable insights and action items for local governments looking for a place to start mapping opioid data and those seeking to make a difference in their community. Several case studies in various locations across the United States are also discussed in this document.

This is a report from the National Association of Medicaid Directors that offers states options to consider to promote the health and wellbeing of Medicaid beneficiaries and expand access to behavioral health services. It includes strategies along a continuum of need, ranging from upstream prevention and health promotion for all Medicaid beneficiaries to increasing access to behavioral health treatment for unique subpopulations in Medicaid.

This brief from the Office of Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) describes four key challenges related to the use of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in child welfare contexts for parents with opioid use disorder. It draws on results from a mixed-methods study examining how substance use affects child welfare systems across the country. There are also links to additional resources on the topic in this document. 

This is an academic paper that describes the collaboration between a multidisciplinary team of university, state and federal agency, and community experts to create a unified database linking controlled substance prescribing, overdose, and treatment for opioid use disorder in Connecticut that can better-inform interventions across the state. 

This is a guide from the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) which provides strategies for rural communities to mobilize community partnerships for public health programming, including local examples and lessons learned. 

This is a report which outlines a model state legislation to create an opioid litigation fund and council. The prospective fund would ensure that money allocated to states through opioid litigation settlements and judgements solely be used to address the opioid crisis. 

This is a school-based national survey done annually on 8th, 10th, and 12th graders specifically on substance use. 

Within this academic paper, it is explained that building on earlier research (Case and Deaton, 2015), it is found that mortality and morbidity among white non-Hispanic Americans in midlife since the turn of the century continued to climb through 2015. Also, additional increases in drug overdoses, suicides, and alcohol-related liver mortality— particularly among those with a high school degree or less—are responsible for an overall increase in all-cause mortality among whites. These types of deaths were coined 'Deaths of Despair'. 

The paper proposes a preliminary but plausible story in which cumulative disadvantage from one birth cohort to the next—in the labor market, in marriage and child outcomes, and in health—is triggered by progressively worsening labor market opportunities at the time of entry for whites with low levels of education. 

This is a 2020 report from the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) that discusses the strategic priorities of the federal government in relation to the supply and demand of drugs and how these will be operationalized. There is a focus on prevention, treatment, and recovery strategies. 

This editorial highlights the consequences of a lack of real time data on drug overdose deaths. The authors discuss how with access to reliable and timely data, healthcare policymakers can implement strategies that identify and target specific at risk populations. 

This is a presentation by several collaborating organizations that describes the community response to the opioid crisis addressing upstream, midstream, and downstream interventions, such as cautious opioid prescribing, medications for opioid use disorder, and overdose prevention, respectively.