How has the Opioid epidemic affected children?

The Opioid epidemic has received a great deal of attention in the national media, but little has focused on how this tragic crisis is affecting children. New research suggests the drug crisis has torn at least 1.5 million children away from a parent since the mid-nineties. Such large disruptions to children’s living arrangements will have long-reaching impacts.

In this episode, Ian and Naomi are joined by Kasey Buckles, a professor of economics at the University of Notre Dame. She recently co-authored an important new study on the drug crisis and its effects on children. Dr. Buckles and her co-authors reveal that laws favoring OxyContin advertisement and prescriptions likely contributed to a rise in the number of children separated from their parents. As we continue to grapple with the drug crisis in this country, the evidence from this study suggests that our policies can have a strong impact on children’s well-being.

Resources:

The drug crisis and the living arrangements of children | National Bureau for Economic Research

Time Stamps:

01:05 | Key findings of the study

04:08 | How do the authors isolate the effects of the drug crisis, versus other causes? 

09:55 | How did the drug crisis impact children of different races?

13:30 | Most important interventions to uplift child-wellbeing 

14:15 | How the effects of this crisis extend beyond the foster care system