The Prescription Opioid Epidemic: How it Happened and Solutions

Rates of prescription drug misuse in Texas are alarmingly high. One in five Texas high school students have taken prescription drugs without a doctor’s prescription. In 2015, Texas had the second highest total healthcare costs from opioid abuse in the nation ($1.96 billion), and Texas is home to four of the top 25 cities in the U.S. for opioid abuse. Meanwhile, only one in three prescribers is using the statewide Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP), leading to a massive loss of data. There is substantial need for increased infrastructure and prevention measures in Texas, especially related to the emergence of prescription drug misuse.

This panel will describe the current landscape of prescription drug misuse and its consequences, discuss strategies to turn down misuse, and explain the proactive approach Texas is taking to enhance misuse prevention and data infrastructure across the state.