The Center for Health Economics of Treatment Interventions for Substance Use Disorder, HCV, and HIV (CHERISH) is a research hub that is committed to improving substance use disorder treatment, policies, and care for people who use drugs. CHERISH is connected to more than 100 affiliated researchers across the U.S. To disseminate newly published work to researchers and policymakers, I share key findings through concise and informative research summaries and write profile series to amplify the experts in our network.
Punitive approaches may be associated with unintended adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Increased prevalence of illicit substance use during pregnancy in the past decade has renewed national attention to prenatal substance use policies (PSUPs).
Currently, there are punitive policies that criminalize drug use during pregnancy or define prenatal substance use as child maltreatment in child welfare statutes. If newborns are found to have prenatal exposure to substances or are born with neonatal abstinence syndrome, these states may charge the pregnant person with substance use disorder with child abuse or terminate their parental rights.
In contrast, states that adopt supportive policies provide pregnant women with priority access to substance use disorder treatment programs, as well as create or fund targeted substance use disorder treatment programs for pregnant women. Supportive treatments are recommended by American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to build trust and connections with the health care systems.
Some prenatal substance use policies date back to the 1980s, when states adopted measures that were intended to reduce adverse maternal and newborn health outcomes during the crack cocaine epidemic. Despite the limited body of research assessing the effectiveness of these policies, PSUPs have grown more punitive over time.
Read the full story at the Center for Health Economics of Treatment Interventions for Substance Use Disorder, HCV, and HIV (CHERISH), published on June 29, 2022.