Take-Home Naloxone and Illicit Opioid Mortality: Controlling for Drug Use Prevalence in a State-Level Ecological Study, 2017-2022

This pre-registered study examines the association between state-level take-home naloxone (THN) distribution through Medicaid and subsequent illicit opioid mortality rates, while controlling for underlying heroin use prevalence. While naloxone demonstrates clear individual-level efficacy when administered by trained medical professionals, population-level effects of take-home naloxone programs remain uncertain, with prior ecological studies producing conflicting results.