We are pleased to announce that research by Economics faculty members Bilge Erten and Shuo Zhang, along with co-authors Dhaval Dave and Pinar Keskin, has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Health Economics.
From Addiction to Aggression: The Spillover Effects of Opioid Policies on Intimate Partner Violence
Dhaval Dave, Bilge Erten, Pinar Keskin, and Shuo Zhang
Abstract
Substance abuse is a major risk factor for intimate partner violence (IPV). We investigate how a key supply-side intervention – the abuse-deterrent reformulation of a widely-diverted opioid, OxyContin – affected IPV. Our results indicate counties with greater baseline rates of prescription opioid usage experienced relatively larger declines in IPV after OxyContin’s reformulation. The reformulation reduced IPV only in states with small illicit drug markets, while states with large illicit drug markets experienced increased heroin-involved IPV due to substitution towards illicit opioids. Our results underscore the importance of identifying populations at high risk of substitution to illicit opioids and moderating this risk with evidence-based policies.
- Read the paper: https://drive.google.com/file/d/12sAPwtDhGOoHIHtQopOsMxibI1haeofx/view
- NBER Working Paper No. 31609: https://www.nber.org/papers/w31609
