Most individuals report that their first opioid exposure involved prescription opioids for themselves or others
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, May 14, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Illicit opioid use may be higher than previously reported in the United States, according to a study published online May 9 in JAMA Health Forum.
David Powell, Ph.D., from RAND in Arlington, Virginia, and Mireille Jacobson, Ph.D., from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, estimated the prevalence of illicit opioid use. The analysis included 1,515 respondents to an online survey conducted June 10 to 17, 2024.
The researchers found that 10.96 percent of respondents reported nonprescription opioid use within the past 12 months, including 7.52 percent who reported illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF) use. More than one-third of those reporting nonprescription opioid use within the past 12 months (39.16 percent) reported that their first opioid use involved opioids prescribed to them, while 36.14 percent reported that their first use involved prescription opioids not prescribed to them. Roughly one-quarter (24.70 percent) of respondents reported that their first exposure involved illicit opioids. Roughly 5 percent of participants (4.69 percent) believed it was very likely they would have an overdose due to opioid use. This rate increased to one-third among those who had used IMF within the past 12 months. Men, Black respondents, and younger age groups reported higher illicit opioid use.
“This study underscores the importance of improved data collection methods to effectively address the opioid crisis because national estimates of rates of illicit opioid use are typically released with a considerable lag time and may be underreported,” the authors write.
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