New fact sheets in the Health Policy Institute of Ohio’s (HPIO) Addiction Evidence Project explore the racial and geographic differences in the state’s addiction crisis, stating criminal justice reform is critical to sustain addiction recovery.
Though the state has taken many steps to prevent addiction and improve access to treatment, HPIO said this remains a concern across the state, inequitably impacting people of color.
“Unjustly punitive and unfair policies, practices and beliefs about addiction have led to large racial and ethnic differences in addiction-related outcomes and have made it more difficult for Ohioans of color to begin and sustain recovery,” the fact sheet said.
This includes a historical and modern-day trend of criminal justice policies disproportionately targeting people of color, with enforcement focused on urban areas, low-income communities and communities of color. According to HPIO, Black Ohioans were 5.4 times more likely to be incarcerated than white residents last year.
“Not only do these biases lead to disproportionate incarceration for Black Ohioans … but formerly incarcerated people experience greater barriers to addiction treatment and recovery once they return to the community,” the fact sheet said.
In HPIO’s insight on addiction and geography fact sheet, data suggest access to treatment services is not the same for every member of the community. According to a 2020 analysis, Black residents represented 27% of drug arrests, though they accounted for only 17% of those participating in drug treatment courts.
“Addiction-related harms remain a concern across the state, and there are clear regional disparities in economic conditions and access to life-saving services that exacerbate those harms,” the fact sheet said. “Going forward, Ohio can do more to ensure that where someone lives does not increase the likelihood they will die of a drug overdose.”
According to the fact sheets, economically vibrant communities also generally have better health outcomes. Because of this, challenges related to poverty, job loss, wages and transportation may contribute to higher rates of overdose death and other addiction-related harms in communities with less economic opportunity.
From the findings, HPIO outlined three policy goals and recommendations to address the state’s addiction response. Beginning immediately, it suggests ending fentanyl overdoses by removing barriers to treatment, increasing drug testing and decreasing the lethality of the drug supply. Within the next two years, HPIO said, Ohio should push for criminal justice reform, including reduced incarceration, more frequent reporting of data and removing barriers to housing and employment for previous convicts.
In the long term, HPIO anticipates continuing to strengthen the state’s “prevention-treatment-recovery” continuum by increasing access to telehealth treatment and guaranteeing access to Medication-assisted treatment and recovery housing.
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