Study reveals increasing cost of Arizona opioids crisis

Published: Thursday, August 25, 2022 - 5:01pm

A new study found the cost of the opioid crisis in Arizona has increased. Glenn Farley is the director of Policy & Research at “Common Sense Institute Arizona.” 

He says the cost has gone up as more of the burden of protecting against drug smuggling at the border has shifted to the state.

“The consequence appears to be that federal law enforcement authorities have had to shift their efforts away from law enforcement and drug interdiction and into migrant processing,” Farley said.

Farley also says a crackdown on prescription painkillers has unintentionally led to people obtaining more dangerous and illegal drugs.

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