Effect of prescription opioid control policies on infant health

Abstract

Prescription opioid use among women of reproductive age and pregnant women is relatively common, and increased prescription opioid use is associated with a commensurate increase in opioid use disorder (OUD) among pregnant women and neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) among infants. In this article, we examine whether state opioid control policies affected prescription opioid use and, in turn, infant health and maternal behaviors. Results from our analysis suggest that reductions in prescription opioid use because of state prescription opioid control policies have improved infant health marginally at the population level with larger implied effects at the individual level.