Auto plant closures linked to rise in opioid deaths
People who live in U.S. counties where automobile assembly plants close are much more likely to die of opioid overdoses than the general public, according to a study published on the JAMA network.
Researchers compared data between counties with automotive plants that were closed between 1999 and 2016 with those that remained open. Automotive assembly plant closures were associated with a statistically significant increase in county-level opioid overdose mortality rates among adults aged 18 to 65 years.