Opioid Use Disorder and Addiction

Governors are at the forefront of the fight against opioid use disorder—a major public health and safety crisis affecting communities across the country. As chief executives of their states, governors are positioned to bring together state agencies and other stakeholders to develop and implement comprehensive action plans that combine public health and safety solutions. Though states are making progress in these efforts, turning the tide on the opioid epidemic and addiction more broadly will require a coordinated response across all levels of government. Governors are working closely with their federal partners to support a robust national response that complements ongoing state efforts and reflects the magnitude of the crisis.

Publications

• Leveraging Data to Unleash Innovation & Curb the Opioid Epidemic (April 2019)
• Emerging Trends in the Evolving Opioid Overdose Epidemic (April 2019)
• Using Emergency Declarations to Address the Opioid Epidemic: Lessons Learned from States (Sept. 2018)

• Using Data and Evaluation in Policy Development, Implementation and Monitoring: Building Successful Policies to Reduce Prescription Opioid Misuse (March 2017)
• Finding Solutions to the Prescription Opioid and Heroin Crisis: A Road Map for States (July 2016)
• A Compact to Fight Opioid Addiction (July 2016)
  • The Governors’ Compact: A Snapshot of Recent State Efforts to Address the Opioid Crisis (July 2017)
  • State Reporting: NGA Compact to Fight Opioid Addiction (July 2017)
• Reducing Prescription Drug Abuse: Lessons Learned from an NGA Policy Academy (Feb. 2014)

Projects

• Opioid State Action Network: A Monthly State-Only Forum on Best Practices and Lessons Learned
• Coordinating State and Local Opioid Data Frameworks and Response Efforts (Oct. 2018)
  • Using Data to Combat the Opioid Epidemic: A Roundtable Discussion with State Public Safety and Public Health Experts
• Non-Opioid Pain Management Strategies in Medicaid (June 2018)
  • Roundtable on Non-Opioid Pain Management Strategies for State Medicaid Programs
• State Strategies for Addressing Infectious Diseases Related to Substance Use (Feb. 2018)
• Addressing Maternal Opioid Use Disorder to Prevent and Reduce the Effects of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (Feb. 2018)
• Leveraging State Emergency Powers to Address the Epidemic (Nov. 2017)
  • Expert Roundtable on State Opioid Emergency Declarations
• Medication Assisted Treatment for Justice-Involved Populations (June 2017)
• Improving Access to Addiction Treatment in Rural Areas (Nov. 2016)
  • Experts Roundtable on Rural Opioid Abuse and Addiction in Rural Areas and Among Special Populations
• Heroin and Illicit Fentanyl Learning Lab (Oct. 2016)
  • Experts Roundtable on Heroin
  • State Strategies for Reducing Overdose and Deaths from Heroin and Illicit Fentanyl: Improving Information Sharing and Data Analysis Between Law Enforcement and Public Health
• Information Sharing Learning Lab (Aug. 2016)
  • Learning Lab on Telehealth Strategies for Expanding Access to Opioid Addiction Treatment
• Prescription Drug Abuse Policy Academy (2015)

Policies and Recommendations

• NGA Health and Human Services Committee Policy Positions (Feb. 2019)
• Governors’ Recommendations for Federal Action to End the Nation’s Opioid Crisis (Jan. 2018)
• Letter: Opioid Addiction (June 2016)
• Governors’ Priorities for Addressing the Nation’s Opioid Crisis (Feb. 2016)

Videos

• 2016 Summer Meeting: Press Event: Opioids
• 2016 Summer Meeting: Governors Unite Against the Opioid Crisis
• 2015 Summer Meeting: Taking Action to Address the Nation’s Opioid Crisis
• 2014 Winter Meeting: Battling an Epidemic: State Efforts to Combat Prescription Drug Abuse