The U.S. opioid crisis has varied in severity across the country, leading to extended debate about how and why it has spread.Now, a study co-authored by MIT economists sheds new light on these dynamics, examining the role that geography has played in the crisis. The results show how state-level policies inadvertently contributed to the rise of opioid addiction, and how addiction itself is a central driver of the long-term problem.The research analyzes data about people who moved within the U.S., as a way of addressing a leading question about the…
