The Arizona Rx Drug Misuse and Abuse Initiative: A Multi-Systemic, Multi-Level Approach for Addressing Arizona’s “Silent Epidemic”

Evidence Ranking: Promising

Source: Arizona Criminal Justice Commission

Arizona piloted a multi-faceted initiative intended to reduce prescription drug misuse and abuse in 4 counties between July of 2012 and December 2013. This evaluation of the pilot from the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission found that the pilot delivered results including reduced prescription drug misuse by Arizona youth, a reduce in non-fatal overdoses, and a reduction in opioid overdose deaths in the pilot counties compared to counties without the program. This report describes the initiative and the pilot program and presents the evaluation findings.

Funding Source: Parents Commission for Drug Education and Prevention, Arizona Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith and Family