By Daniel Rosenblum, Jeffrey Ondocsin, Sarah G. Mars, Dennis Cauchon, Daniel Ciccarone

We investigate the relationship between the supply of methamphetamine and overdose death risk in Ohio. Ohio and the overall US have experienced a marked increase in overdose deaths from methamphetamine combined with fentanyl over the last decade. The increasing use of methamphetamine may be increasing the risk of overdose death. However, if people are using it to substitute away from more dangerous synthetic opioids, it may reduce the overall risk of overdose death.

Methods

Ohio’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s crime lab data include a detailed list of the content of drug samples from law enforcement seizures, which are used as a proxy for drug supply. We use linear regressions to estimate the relationship between the proportion of methamphetamine in lab samples and unintentional drug overdose death rates from January 2015 through September 2021.

Results

Relatively more methamphetamine in crime lab data in a county-month has either no statistically significant relationship with overdose death rates (in small and medium population counties) or a negative and statistically significant relationship with overdose death rates (in large population counties). Past overdose death rates do not predict future increases in methamphetamine in crime lab data.

Conclusions

The results are consistent with a relatively higher supply of methamphetamine reducing the general risk of overdose death, possibly due to substitution away from more dangerous synthetic opioids. However, the supply of methamphetamine appears unrelated to the past illicit drug risk environment.

  Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports, (2024), 31 pages

By  Jana Hrdinova and Dexter Ridgway

On November 7, 2023, Ohio became the 24th state in the nation to legalize marijuana for adult recreational use. Following the lead of other states, the Ohio ballot initiative included social equity provisions designed to address past harm of marijuana criminalization by investing in disproportionately impacted communities and encouraging participation of such groups in the new legal cannabis industry. The purpose of this report is to highlight the varying strategies other states have deployed to fulfill social equity goals and to look at how Ohio’s new laws compare to others. In this report, we look at three social equity policy areas in greater detail, starting with criminal justice reform, followed by community reinvestment, and industry participation. Additionally, we also provide detailed information on the criteria states have used to determine individual and community eligibility for participating in their social equity programs. We conclude the report with recommendations for greater data collection and analyses concerning the impact of social equity efforts and a more robust assessment of best practices for social equity programs.

Drug Enforcement and Policy Center. January 2024, 31pg