By Rajeev Darolia and John Tyler ;
Recent high-profile litigation and settlements among states and local governments with drug companies have highlighted the costs of the opioid epidemic on communities. The dollar amounts discussed in some of these cases have been huge. For example, Purdue Pharma and Mallinckrodt agreed to a national settlements of about $10 billion and $1.6 billion, respectively, and a judge in Oklahoma recently awarded a settlement of $465 million in a suit brought against Johnson & Johnson. While these figures are notable, the costs of the opioid epidemic are likely much higher when considering indirect harm to communities and not just the direct costs associated with abatement. The opioid epidemic is a widespread societal problem, and we are only starting to understand the far-reaching consequences that will be borne by individuals and communities.
In this report, we introduce one of the unexplored effects of the opioid crisis, the link between the opioid epidemic and the education outcomes of children in hard-hit areas. Children, of course, are not immune to the effects of what may happen in their homes and communities, and there is ample evidence that negative home or community factors can be associated with lost learning opportunities. One example is that children exposed to higher levels of neighborhood violence have worse education outcomes than children who are less exposed. In a similar vein, childhood exposure to the ravages of the opioid epidemic may results in worse education outcomes.
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