Today, state Senator Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo) released the following statement after Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office published a study on February 17, 2022, which he said found a connection between the federal stimulus checks distributed early in the pandemic and an increase in opioid overdose deaths:

“The Attorney General’s suggestion of causation between the federal stimulus checks and the increase in opioid overdose deaths – when the study shows there is only a correlation, at most – is both dangerous and troubling. Our responsibility as elected officials is to ensure there is truth behind the words we say. After reviewing the research, I believe that the Attorney General’s claims are false. 

“Insinuating that the stimulus checks were largely used to purchase opioids does nothing more than shame those experiencing poverty – especially when we know these payments helped support working people. The pandemic is not over, and many people are still struggling with new medical expenses, job loss and navigating the state’s unemployment system. Rather than pushing harmful narratives, we should discuss how we can further help Ohioans.”

The Attorney General’s statement on the study’s findings omitted the study’s conclusion: “The identified change point may refer to the timing of many factors, not only the economic payments and further research is warranted to investigate the potential relationship between the COVID-19 economic impact payments and overdose deaths.”

His statement also did not mention the study’s limitations: “Limitations of this study include a lack of data on the income and other social-economic characteristics of those that died from opioid overdose deaths. Multiple factors associated with the lockdowns (e.g. social isolation, unemployment, etc.) would have also contributed to the number of opioid overdose deaths and the findings from this analysis do not provide a direct causal link.”
 
Click here to find the Ohio Attorney General’s full statement. Click here to find the study, “COVID-19 economic impact payments and opioid overdose deaths.”