Confronting the on-going opioid crisis, many localities have already adopted interventions that save lives. Fortunately, new financial resources that can help states and communities fund additional programs are close at hand as a result of lawsuits brought by states, cities, and counties against opioid manufacturers, pharmaceutical distributors, and pharmacies. This is an unprecedented opportunity to invest in solutions to address the needs of people who use drugs.
To ensure that dollars are used most effectively, Johns Hopkins recommends that the following Principles be adopted.
- Principle 1: Spend the money to save lives
- Principle 2: Use evidence to guide spending
- Principle 3: Invest in youth prevention
- Principle 4: Focus on racial equity
- Principle 5: Develop a fair and transparent process for deciding where to spend the funding
Learn more about these principles and tools for implementation here: https://opioidprinciples.jhsph.edu/the-principles/.