The Relationship between Unemployment and Consumption of Oxycodone and Hydrocodone at the County Level

Abstract

Since the start of commercial production of oxycodone and hydrocodone in the 1990s, consumption of prescription painkillers has consistently increased, as has the number of deaths attributable to the use of prescription opioids and related substances (such as, heroin and synthetic opioids). Previous studies have found that poor economic conditions are linked to worsening health outcomes and increases in risky behaviors such as substance abuse. A burgeoning literature examines this connection, focusing on the interrelationships between economic conditions, health outcomes, and overdose rates. This study attempts to examine the relationship between local economic conditions and prescription opioid use. Using novel and newly available data from the Drug Enforcement Agency on county-level opioid consumption, and data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on county-level unemployment rates, I find that increases in unemployment rates are, in fact, negatively related to prescription opioid use, although subgroup analysis suggests that this relationship differs somewhat in counties with different demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.