Heroin Initiation Among Unemployed or Uninsured Prescription Opioid Users

William Kazanis

Heroin Initiation Among Unemployed or Uninsured Prescription Opioid Users Prescription opioid use has leveled; however, heroin use has increased in the US. As much as 50% of men outside of the labor force take opioids at least once a day. This is troublesome as recent studies show a new pathway to heroin use among prescription opioid users. As much as 80% of new heroin users used a prescription opioid before using heroin for the first time [5]. This analysis examines the impact of unemployment on heroin initiation among users of prescription pain relievers in the US and how insurance and unemployment may interact to encourage opioid use. Survey weighted proportions showed 3.7% (3.2%, 4.0%) of the those prescribed a prescription pain reliever used heroin, among the unemployed that number was as high as 9.22% (6.76%, 12.20%), and 10.13% (7.67, 13.06)% among the uninsured.

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 Presented in Session 5. Health & Mortality 1