Claire Fiddian-Green is the President & CEO of the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation. While Indiana has many proud accomplishments, the health of our state’s population is not one. According to United Health Foundation’s America’s Health Rankings, Indiana is in the bottom-third of states for overall health – at 39th. And a recent Gallup study on well-being ranks our state at 47th. What are the primary drivers of our poor health rankings? First and foremost: tobacco use, as evidenced by our state’s 20.6% smoking rate. Second is addiction to prescription pain killers and heroin use – collectively referred to as “opioid use disorder.” These challenges might seem daunting, but we know […]

Alex Cohen is the Director of Learning and Evaluation for the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation. As policymakers and others identify ways to address the opioid epidemic, a key tactic has been limiting opioid prescribing and promoting alternative pain remedies. Marijuana is one alternative that has been widely discussed, especially in light of the expansion of laws the allow medical use of marijuana and, recently, recreational use of marijuana for adults 21 and older. An impetus for these laws has been marijuana’s potential for pain relief. The expansion of medical and adult-use marijuana laws over time provides a unique opportunity to understand the impact of increased access to marijuana on opioid […]