Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 27, 2025
Author Spotlight: An Efficient Methodology to Confidently Differentiate and Characterize Fentanyl Analogs
Published on: November 8, 2024
State-level policies and receipt of CDC-informed opioid thresholds among commercially insured new chronic opioid
Martin J Calabrese1, Fadia T Shaya2, Francis Palumbo2
1Department of Practice, Sciences, and Health Outcomes Research, University of Maryland Baltimore School of Pharmacy; Center for Medicare, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Baltimore, Maryland. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4304-396X.
Objectives:
To evaluate the association of state-level policies on receipt of opioid regimens informed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) morphine milligram equivalent (MME)/day recommendations.
Design:
A retrospective cohort study of new chronic opioid users (NCOUs).
Setting:
Commercially insured plans across the United States using IQVIA PharMetrics® Plus for Academics database with new chronic use between January 2014 and March 2015.
Participants:
NCOUs with ≥60-day coverage of opioids within a 90-day period with ≥30-day opioid-free period prior to the date of the first qualifying opioid prescription.
Interventions:
State-level policies including Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) robustness and cannabis policies involving the presence of medical dispensaries and state-wide decriminalization.
Main Outcome Measures:
NCOUs were placed in three-tiered risk-based average MME/day thresholds: low (>0 to <50), medium (≥50 to <90), and high (≥90). Multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate the association of state-level policies with the thresholds while adjusting for relevant patient-specific factors.
Results:
NCOUs in states with medium or high PDMP robustness had lower odds of receiving medium (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.74; 95 percent confidence interval [CI]: 0.62-0.69) and high (AOR 0.74; 95 percent CI: 0.59-0.92) thresholds. With respect to cannabis policies, NCOUs in states with medical cannabis dispensaries had lower odds of receiving high (AOR 0.75; 95 percent CI: 0.60-0.93) thresholds, while cannabis decriminalization had higher odds of receiving high (AOR 1.24; 95 percent CI: 1.04-1.49) thresholds.
Conclusion:
States with highly robust PDMPs and medical cannabis dispensaries had lower odds of receiving higher opioid thresholds, while cannabis decriminalization correlated with higher odds of receiving high opioid thresholds.
More Related Videos
07:23Assessment of Morphine-induced Hyperalgesia and Analgesic Tolerance in Mice Using Thermal and Mechanical Nociceptive Modalities
Published on: July 29, 2014
09:38Determining Pain Detection and Tolerance Thresholds Using an Integrated, Multi-Modal Pain Task Battery
Published on: April 14, 2016
Related Concept Videos
01:25Analgesia and Pain Management
01:15Opioid Analgesics: Synthetic and Semisynthetic Opioids
01:20Opioid Analgesics: Morphine and Other Natural Cogeners
01:02Prescription, Nonprescription and Orphan Drugs
The misuse and addiction to prescription drugs is a growing problem that can affect people of all age groups, specifically teenagers. This can happen when prescription medications are used in ways not intended by the prescriber, such as taking someone else's prescription or using medication for...
01:22Opioid Receptors: Overview
01:25Drug Classes and Categories