Letter to the editor: We can’t police ourselves out of opioid crisis

The article “Expecting more than $1B in opioid settlement money, Pa. grapples with policing versus treatment” (April 18, TribLIVE) discusses how many counties are planning on using their settlement money to hire more police officers. There is no evidence supporting that more policing decreases overdoses. We must use this settlement money to implement more effective strategies to save lives.

The only way to end the opioid epidemic is through evidence-based methods. The CDC recommends evidence-based strategies for preventing opioid overdose such as targeted naloxone (Narcan) distribution, medication-assisted opioid detoxification (MAOD) and syringe services programs. One study on 40,885 adults with opioid use disorder found that, out of six treatment pathways, only treatment via MAOD resulted in significant reductions in overdoses, with a 76% reduction after three months and a 59% reduction after 12 months, compared with the no treatment group.

While counties should take a multifactorial approach to the opioid epidemic in Pennsylvania, making MAOD widely accessible should be the top priority, which will involve creating and staffing MAOD clinics. Rather than pumping money into law enforcement, Pennsylvania counties must work on making MAOD widely accessible if they want to effectively reduce opioid-related deaths.

Ryley Handyside

South Side

The writer is a graduate student in public health at George Washington University.