The United States currently ranks last among high‑income countries for life expectancy. Since 2014, U.S. life expectancy has declined. By now, these alarming trends are well known to researchers, the public, and policymakers. Nevertheless, there is no consensus among researchers on the causes of the trends, and there has been no serious and effective bipartisan effort to solve the problem. The dominant narrative has implicated Americans’ behaviors, such as smoking, illicit drug use, and suicide; yet, this narrative is misguided and counterproductive.
This essay reflects on 10 years of legal epidemiology, and projects a research agenda for the next decade of work. Mello describes the innovations behind measuring the law, testing its effects, and disseminating discoveries. The essay was adapted from Mello's keynote address at the Center's 10th anniversary symposium in September 2019.
Policy is a powerful tool that can improve health and wellbeing by addressing specific risks or impacting social conditions that are drivers of health and quality of life. But governmental policies can vary immensely from one jurisdiction to another. Surveillance of policies at the local level can help facilitate evidence‑based policy adoption between cities, states, and beyond. This essay highlights the CityHealth model, which has successfully influenced policy change by illuminating the quality and quantity of nine key city policies in the forty most populous U.S. metropolitan areas.
Tables on LawAtlas.org catalog resources tracking emergency declarations, mitigation policies, and other topic-specific resources available at every jurisdictional level related to the response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Self-managed abortion has improved access to safe and effective abortions. While the practice is on the rise around the world, many countries impose significant legal restrictions on abortion access. These laws regulate various aspects of abortion, including: the grounds upon which individuals are permitted to obtain an abortion; who may provide an abortion; the tests that health professionals are required to administer before an abortion may be provided; and where an abortion is legally permitted to take place.
This special supplement of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice presents 13 original articles using theory and methods from the field of legal epidemiology. The supplement issue includes nine original research articles and four commentaries that explore the past, present, and future of the field.
Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) uses medications, such as Methadone, in conjunction with behavioral therapy and counseling to treat opioid addiction. MAT with methadone is required to be distributed to individuals through an Opioid Treatment Program (OTP). MAT with methadone for opioid addiction is subject to federal law, with specific requirements such as physician evaluations, toxicology testing, counseling, and treatment planning. Some states go beyond what is required by the federal law and place stricter restrictions on OTPs, while other states simply defer to the federal law.
According to the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 10 million people aged 12 or older reported driving under the influence of illicit drugs. As more states have legalized medical and recreational marijuana and with the high prevalence of prescription drug use in the United States, drugged driving has become a public health issue. In response, states have passed laws intended to decrease traffic accidents and deaths related to drugged driving.
