A dramatic increase in opioid use has led to drug-related overdose
deaths surpassing motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause
of mortality among adults under 50. In the most recent estimates,
63,632 people died from drug-related causes in just one year
(2016). Dubbed an opioid epidemic by the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Agency (DEA), this public health crisis has spurred a wide array of
efforts to increase access to addiction treatment services, reduce
trafficking of high-potency synthetic opioid drugs, and reduce
overprescribing of prescription drugs.
However, an underappreciated
concern is the intersection between opioid use and infectious
diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C (HCV), infections that are
efficiently transmitted via shared syringes or other injection
equipment. A coherent legislative strategy is urgently needed
to holistically and effectively address this trifecta of public
health threats.
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