Legal Maps

In recent years, 27 states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana. All 28 jurisdictions authorize qualifying patients to appoint a caregiver or caregivers who can help patients acquire, transport or cultivate medical marijuana. Caregivers provide ailing patients with varying degrees of assistance based upon state statutory and regulatory limitations. This dataset analyzes state guidelines for medical marijuana caregivers, including caregiver qualifications and permissible caregiver activities.

This preliminary dataset examines the laws and policies on medication assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder at state correctional facilities. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has approved three drugs for the treatment of opioid use disorder: buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone. Currently, Rhode Island is the only state that offers all three FDA-approved medications for MAT to all state inmates.  Some states provide all three medications at some of their correctional facilities.

This dataset examines statutes, regulations, and preferred drug lists regarding Medicaid’s coverage of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT). This dataset includes questions on which of the ten U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved MAT drugs are covered by Medicaid.

This dataset is cross-sectional, capturing currently effective law valid through August 1, 2019.

Involuntary commitment laws for substance use authorize the involuntary arrest, detention, and/or treatment of an individual for substance use. This dataset examines important features of involuntary commitment laws specifically focused on substance use.

The federal Medicaid Inmate Exclusion Policy (MIEP) generally prohibits federal matching funds from being used to pay for health care provided to most adults incarcerated in public institutions. For justice-involved individuals, this means that during incarceration the criminal justice system is responsible for inmate health care and that Medicaid enrollment may be either terminated or suspended, leading to gaps in Medicaid coverage at release.

This dataset examines statutes that authorize the prosecution of drug-related deaths as criminal killings. Oftentimes referred to as drug induced homicide laws, these laws establish criminal liability for individuals who furnish or deliver controlled substances to another individual who dies as a result. These laws vary from state to state in how they are classified, how they are sentenced, and what elements need to be proven. This dataset highlights these differences among state drug induced homicide laws. 

Tobacco use remains a leading cause of preventable death in the United States, known to cause cancer and other harmful health conditions, including, but not limited to, respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Implementing evidence-based policies that reduce smoking and tobacco consumption can decrease tobacco-related illnesses and death. One of the most effective strategies to decrease tobacco use is to raise the price of tobacco products, something which state governments can accomplish by establishing specific taxes and pricing limits for tobacco products.

Inclusionary zoning laws can serve as a mechanism to provide more housing opportunities by requiring or incentivizing developers to set aside a certain portion of new developments for affordable housing, and are designed to provide more affordable rental and/or owner-occupied housing for low to moderate-income individuals and families. Developers can sometimes meet the requirement by building affordable units off-site or pay into an affordable housing fund. Incentives for developers include expedited permitting, density bonuses, and zoning variances.

This legal map identifies the procedural protections established by laws and regulations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia that protect the conscience rights of health care providers in the context of reproductive health care services, with a particular emphasis on immunity from civil liability and limitations on provider rights in cases where patients are likely to be harmed. It captures the relevant features of laws in effect as of December 2019.

This map identifies and displays key features of the federal Supplement Security Income program, with a focus on children with disabilities, that were in effect between January 1, 1996 and November 1, 2018.