A Statistical Analysis of Drug Seizures and Opioid Overdose Deaths in Ohio from 2014 to 2018
Year: 2021
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Objective. To examine the association between drug seizures and drug overdose deaths in Ohio from 2014 to 2018. Methods. We use linear regression, ARIMA models, and categorical data analysis to quantify the effect of drug seizure composition and weight on drug overdose deaths, to quantify the lag between drug seizures and overdose deaths, and to compare the weight distributions of drug seizures conducted by different types of law enforcement (national, local, and drug task forces). Results. Drug seizure composition and weight have strong predictive value for drug overdose deaths (F = 27.14, p < 1e-15, R² = .7799). A time series analysis demonstrates no statistically significant lag between drug seizures and overdose deaths or weight. Histograms and Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests demonstrate stark differences between seizure weight distributions of different types of law enforcement (p < 1e-7 for each pairwise comparison). Conclusions. Consideration of drug composition and weight can inform law enforcement seizure activity. To save lives, law enforcement should emphasize seizures of low weight drugs that contain fentanyl.
Source: Journal of Student Research
Authors: David White, Lam Tran, Lin Ma
Institution: Denison University
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W3143912508