The Global Opioid Crisis group aims to build an active drug surveillance system and drug policy stringency index that deepens understanding of the global opioid crisis, creating a new foundation for effective evaluation and policymaking.

Morbidity and mortality from non-medical drug use continues to rise, costing the U.S. alone $1.5 trillion annually. Yet the global costs of the opioid crisis are less understood due to a lack of data, which has hindered the development of effective policies for mitigation and prevention. This group aims to build an active drug surveillance system and drug policy stringency index that deepens understanding of the global opioid crisis, creating a new foundation for effective evaluation and policymaking.

Co-leads:

• Maryann Mason, Emergency Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine
• Lori Ann Post, Emergency Medicine and Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine

Northwestern group members:

• Ana Arjona, Political Science, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences
• Alexander Lundberg, Emergency Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine
• Juliet Sorensen, Clinical Law, Pritzker School of Law

• Jay Unick, Assistant Professor, University of Maryland School of Social Work