What are opioids?

Opioids are natural or synthetic chemicals that are used for pain management. Opioids include prescription drugs (such as morphine, codeine, methadone, and oxycodone), synthetic drugs (such as fentanyl and tramadol), and heroin.

​Access a primer on key terms and concepts for understanding the opioid epidemic

What do we know about the increased use and misuse of opioids?

This graphic shows that in 2016 116 people died daily from opioid-related overdoses and 11.5 million people misued prescription opioids.
Source: https://www.hhs.gov/opioids/

Why do people misuse opioids?

The most common reason that adults misuse prescription opioids, according to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, is to relieve physical pain. The survey found that other common reasons include a desire to relax, assist with sleep, manage emotions, and increase or decrease the effects of other drugs.  

Read what people say about why they misuse prescription drugs

Prevalence of Opioid Use among Adults with Mental Illnesses

Results from the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reveal that 11.7 million adults (4.8% of the population) misused opioids in the past year, and 9.8 million adults (4%) had a serious mental illness in the past year. Survey results indicate that approximately 1.5 million adults misused opioids and had a mental illness in the past year. 
This venn diagram shows that there are 9,8 million adults with mental illness, 11.7 million adults who misused opioids in the past year, and 1.5 million who have co-occurring mental illness and opioid addiction
Source: SAMHSA CBHSQ Report, January 25, 2017

Opioid-Related Deaths

From 2015 to 2016, the rate of deaths due to synthetic opioids, including fentanyl and tramadol, doubled from 3.1 deaths per 100,000 to 6.2 deaths per 100,000. The rate is nearly 7 times as high as it was in 2010 (1 death per 100,000).  

Current Responses to the Crisis

States are using many promising strategies to address the opioid crisis. Approaches include increasing access to substance abuse treatments like Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT), introducing prescription drug monitoring programs, targeting overdose reversing drugs, improving prescribing practices, and educating patients about non-pharmacological pain management. Many of these strategies are featured below. 
New proposed legislation​: H.R.6823 - Supporting Positive Outcomes After Release Act
Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA-03) and Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass) have introduced this legislation that would prohibit states from terminating inmates' Medicaid coverage while they are incarcerated, instead allowing states to temporarily suspend such coverage. This would allow individuals to more readily access needed treatment in the critical days and weeks after release.  
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offers a 5-point strategy to combat the opioid crisis. Strategies include improved prevention, treatment and recovery services, data collection and application, methods for pain management, targeting of overdose reversing drugs, and research.

Learn more about the strategy and find other information from HHS about the opioid crisis 
Medicaid is an important tool in addressing the opioid crisis. It provides health care coverage for people who have opioid use disorder, and increases capacity for states to provide treatment and intervention. Medicaid recipients are more likely than those with private coverage or those who are uninsured to successfully receive treatment for substance use disorders. 

Explore an infographic about Medicaid’s role in addressing the opioid crisis

Watch a SAMHSA video on how stakeholders are partnering for
​opioid addiction prevention

Access The American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry’s resources for practitioners and for people receiving treatment 
Views expressed on the Academy for Policymakers web site do not necessarily represent those of our Center or any federal agency. Our mission is to share the latest policy information and the perspectives of a variety of stakeholders without endorsement.