The Influences of Community Context on the Opioid Epidemic in New Jersey

• In Event: The Opioid Epidemic: Patterns of Use and Overdoses

Abstract

Addressing the opioid epidemic that is currently afflicting the United States has become a priority for politicians, public health agencies, the criminal justice system, and many other organizations. While statistics on arrests and overdose deaths associated with this issue are increasingly presented by the media, little is currently known regarding the potential relationships between community context and characteristics of this social problem. The current study analyzes a robust dataset that contains information regarding the locations of opiod-related arrests, overdoses, and the uses of anti-overdose substances within the state of New Jersey to determine if there are patterns concerning where those events are more and less likely to occur.

Author

• Brian Lockwood, Monmouth University