Chart: The U.S. opioid crisis is holding back certain states

The opioid crisis appears to be contributing to decreased labor force participation, especially in certain U.S. states, according to a chart by Deutsche Bank’s Torsten Slok.

Opioid use has been one of many driving forces behind higher disability rates, Yahoo Finance previously reported, which leads to more people being out of the labor force (even when the overall economy is humming).

West Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama, and Arkansas are seeing a particularly high correlation between opioid prescriptions and lack of labor market participation, as indicated by this chart:

Chart at Link: https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/chart-u-s-opioid-crisis-holding-back-certain-states-183503446.html



One: I can't believe the first question by these authors isn't how do states have over 100 prescriptions per 100 people?!? I've heard stories where people are bused to states holding opioid prescriptions which they fill and give to someone when they return in exchange for money and/or pills for themselves. You'd think a quick parusal of prescription orders would put a halt to this.

Two: How does an R2 value of 0.44 get passed off as a great correlation?!?