Working Paper: NBER ID: w26111
Authors: Analisa Packham
Abstract: In light of the recent opioid crisis, many public health entities have called for an expansion in syringe exchange programs (SEPs), which provide access to sterile syringes and facilitate safe needle disposal for injection drug users. This paper investigates the effects of recent SEP openings on HIV diagnoses and drug-related overdoses in the wake of the opioid crisis. I find that SEP openings decrease HIV diagnoses by up to 18.2 percent. However, I present new evidence that SEPs increase rates of opioid-related mortality and hospitalizations, suggesting that needle exchanges alone may be less effective than other interventions at stimulating recovery.
Keywords: syringe exchange programs; opioid epidemic; HIV; drug-related mortality; public health
JEL Codes: I10; I18; K42
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| SEP openings (L17) | reduction in HIV diagnoses (I14) |
| SEP openings (L17) | increase in drug-related mortality (I12) |
| SEP openings (L17) | increase in opioid-related mortality (I12) |
| SEP openings (L17) | increase in opioid-related emergency room visits (I12) |
| SEP openings (L17) | increase in arrests for opioid possession (K42) |