Faculty seminar with Alexander Ahammer

Alexander Ahammer - CV

Title: 

Title: Supply-side drug policy, polydrug use, and labor market impacts (with Analisa Packham)

Abstract: Although one-third of opioid overdoses involve other drugs, there is little policy guidance on how to curb concurrent polydrug misuse or how changes to co-prescribing practices affect patients' economic trajectories. In 2012, Austria restricted access to flunitrazepam, one of the most potent, and heavily misused, benzodiazepines. We use linked administrative data to identify individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) and estimate the reform's impact relative to other individuals. Estimates indicate that the policy reduced employment, increased healthcare expenditures, and worsened mental health for individuals with OUD, likely due to incapacitating withdrawal symptoms. However, limiting benzodiazepine access deters future opioid use.