# Evaluating the decriminalization of non-prescribed buprenorphine in Rhode Island

> **NIH NIH R21** · RHODE ISLAND HOSPITAL · 2022 · $250,221

## Abstract

ABSTRACT TEXT
In July of 2021, Rhode Island became the second state in the nation to decriminalize the possession of
non-prescribed buprenorphine (NPB), the partial agonist opioid medication proven effective at treating
opioid use disorder (OUD), following Vermont’s decriminalization of NPB the month prior. As the nation
contends with the worst fatal overdose crisis in its history, and New York State considers
decriminalizing NPB for 20 million residents, there is a time-sensitive need to understand the effects of
this decriminalization on people’s consumption of buprenorphine both as part of formal treatment for
OUD, and as self-treatment or a form of harm reduction. To date, however, no such evaluation has
been conducted. Decriminalizing NPB is a novel response to the overdose crisis, based on evidence
that most NPB consumption is for the purpose of self-treatment by people who do not have access to
treatment, or do not perceive themselves as ready to succeed in formal treatment programs. It has also
been associated with decreases in accidental overdose, and used as a form of protection from an
adulterated illicit drug supply. At the same time, concerns among policymakers and legislators persist
that consuming NPB unnecessarily delays participation in more comprehensive formal treatment, that
when used in combination with non-opioid depressants it can contribute to overdose, and that it
contributes to addiction when consumed recreationally, especially by opioid-naïve people. The goal of
this project is to explore the effects of decriminalizing NPB on attitudes and beliefs toward
buprenorphine in Rhode Island, and changes in buprenorphine’s association with fatal overdoses. It
offers the opportunity to systematically examine how a change in the criminal law regulating a treatment
medication affects attitudes and behaviors regarding it, allowing for a rapid and broad application of the
findings. Using qualitative and quantitative measures, and closely harmonizing their efforts with
researchers conducting a companion evaluation in Vermont, the research team will come to an
understanding of 1) the knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors regarding decriminalized NPB of people who
use illicit opioids; 2) the effects of decriminalized NPB on Rhode Island law enforcement practices,
attitudes and beliefs, and 3) any post-decriminalization changes in buprenorphine’s association with
fatal overdoses using data from Rhode Island’s State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System.
The results will yield both scientific publications and products for distribution to public administration
and community stakeholder audiences. The study will produce an understanding of the effects of
decriminalized NPB as New York and other states consider what role NPB decriminalization should
play in their public health strategies, and will reveal the most insightful research questions and metrics
for measuring the health and harm reduction outcomes of decriminalization in an ensu...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10549069
- **Project number:** 1R21DA057171-01
- **Recipient organization:** RHODE ISLAND HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** JOSIAH D RICH
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $250,221
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-08-15 → 2024-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10549069

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10549069, Evaluating the decriminalization of non-prescribed buprenorphine in Rhode Island (1R21DA057171-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10549069. Licensed CC0.

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