The U.S. Opioid Epidemic: Where Do We Go From Here?
Channel: HMS Center for Bioethics
Date: 2018-09-21

The U.S. has struggled with an epidemic of prescription opioid overuse and abuse, which has contributed to an uptick in illegal drug use and affected communities across the country. Numerous states and organizations have tried using different approaches to address the epidemic, including limitations on prescriptions and improving access to treatment modalities. Five years into the crisis, can we begin to understand the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches to addressing the opioid epidemic?  Which policies have been most effective?

Speakers:

Jessie Gaeta, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program

Andrew Kolodny, MD
Co-Director, Opioid Policy Research Center
Heller School for Social Policy and Management
Brandeis University

Moderator:
Michael Sinha, MD, JD, MPH
Program Coordinator
Program on Regulation, Therapeutics, and Law

The Health Policy and Bioethics Consortia is a monthly series that convenes two international experts from different fields or vantage points to discuss how biomedical innovation and health care delivery are affected by various ethical norms, laws, and regulations.

The consortia are organized by the Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics and the Program On Regulation, Therapeutics, And Law (PORTAL) at Brigham and Women's Hospital, in collaboration with the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School. Support provided by the Oswald DeN. Cammann Fund at Harvard University.