Regulation and Utilization in Markets for Controlled Substances

Presenter

Cyrus Dean Ekland

Campus

UMass Amherst

Sponsor

Lucy Xiaolu Wang, Department of Resource Economics, UMass Amherst

Schedule

Session 3, 1:30 PM - 2:15 PM [Schedule by Time][Poster Grid for Time/Location]

Location

Poster Board C4, Poster Showcase Room (163), Row 1 (C1-C10) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

Policies aimed at restricting the distribution of controlled substances have been under scrutiny regarding their efficacy in curtailing drug epidemics. The Controlled Substance Act of 1970 established DEA control of drug scheduling aimed at restricting the consumption of addictive and harmful drugs to protect patient safety and prevent drug epidemics. Despite its implementation, there remains a need for comprehensive research on the dynamics of substance additions and changes within schedules, as well as its impact on utilization. It is essential to understand the rate and direction upstream policy changes have on user consumption, and whether these changes are having their intended effect. This study constructs novel data sets from two sources: the DEA List of Controlled Substances and the Automated Reports and Consolidated Ordering System (ARCOS). The DEA List provides a summary of the schedule changes since 1970 based on substances’ perceived addictiveness. Our research finds that the number of controlled substances in each schedule has remained relatively stable, except for two bumps including an increase in the number of schedule IV non-narcotic drugs in 1984, and a three-fold increase in schedule I drugs starting in 2010. The increase in Schedule 1 drugs is partially accounted for by the emergency scheduling of opioid-related substances, particularly fentanyl analogs, to deal with the opioid epidemic. After merging with ARCOS data, we plan to perform a regression analysis tying scheduling changes to the controlled substances distribution to examine the impact that up and down-scheduling has on drug utilization trends.

Keywords

DEA, Controlled Substance Act, Healthcare Policy Impact, Health Economics, Drug Utilization Trends

Research Area

Business & Economics

SIMILAR ABSTRACTS (BY KEYWORD)