Association of law enforcement seizures of heroin, fentanyl, and carfentanil with opioid overdose deaths in Ohio, 2014-2017

Abstract

By integrating overdose mortality data from Ohio’s Vital Statistics System with state crime laboratory data from Ohio’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, we demonstrate a significant association between law enforcement drug seizures and overdose deaths in Ohio from 2014 to 2017. To our knowledge, this is the first study to offer an empirical basis for using crime laboratory data as a viable indicator of opioid overdose deaths. This analysis is limited by the administrative character of crime laboratory data, which, like other institutional data systems (eg, electronic health records), are subject to internal measurement error. Because quantitative testing was not performed by Ohio’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the analysis could not identify percentage amounts of fentanyl and carfentanil in heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine seizures and, thus, was unable to determine whether fentanyl adulteration was intentional or the result of unintentional trace contamination. The absence of drug seizures from private laboratories limits a comprehensive portrait across Ohio; however, the strength of our findings and large sample size suggest that our conclusions would not change materially by including samples from private laboratories. Our analyses were limited to Ohio and may not generalize beyond this state.

These findings underscore the importance of partnerships between public health and public safety to address the opioid overdose epidemic. Active data sharing between law enforcement and public health agencies can facilitate timely, actionable data to identify fentanyl hot spots and coordinate rapid responses that could limit overdose mortality.