,,,Beyond an Emergency Declaration: Tribal Governments and the Opioid Crisis

Abstract

The opioid crisis within the United States is often characterized as primarily impacting mainstream America, particularly suburban and rural white populations with predictive social and economic determinants. The epidemic is much more expansive than the original and reinforced popular narratives suggest. Between 2016 and 2017, American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) experienced the highest percentage rate increase in opioid prescription deaths and the second highest increase in overall opioid-related deaths. The opioid crisis has proven particularly disruptive to Indigenous Nations, and tribal governments have consequently engaged in many different strategies to bring relief to their communities, including