Exploration of the STOP Act and Opioid Deaths in North Carolina, 2010-2018.

Abstract

<i>Objectives.</i> To examine the impact of North Carolina's 2017 Strengthening Opioid Misuse Prevention (STOP) Act on opioid overdose deaths.<i>Methods.</i> We used quarterly data from the North Carolina Opioid Dashboard to conduct an interrupted time series analysis ranging from 2010 to 2018. Results were stratified by heroin-fentanyl deaths and other opioid deaths.<i>Results.</i> After the STOP Act, there was an initial rate increase of 0.60 opioid deaths per 100 000 population (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.04, 1.15) and a decrease of 0.42 (95% CI = -0.56, -0.29) every quarter thereafter. Results differed by stratification.<i>Conclusions.</i> Our results suggest that North Carolina's STOP Act was associated with a reduction in opioid deaths in the year following enactment. The changes in opioid overdose death trends coinciding with the STOP Act were similar to outcomes seen with previous opioid policies.<i>Public Health Implications.</i> Future policies designed to reduce the availability of opioids may benefit from encouraging and increasing the availability of evidence-based treatment of opioid use disorder.