How Prenatal Drug Laws Affect Mothers, Babies, and Care
Official title: CE24-012 - ASSESSING THE IMPLEMENTATION AND OUTCOMES OF STATE PRENATAL DRUG USE LAWS
Funded at Johns Hopkins University · NIH-11357979 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how state laws about prenatal drug use influence health outcomes for pregnant people, newborns, and families.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2024 |
| Project end | September 29, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $350,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CE003689-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11357979 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Pregnant and postpartum individuals affected by or navigating state prenatal drug laws and their infants, particularly those seeking or receiving healthcare or social services.
✕Less likely to help
People not impacted by prenatal drug laws or not engaged with prenatal or postnatal healthcare or child welfare services may see limited direct benefit.
What this research studies
This research examines the real-world effects of five types of prenatal drug laws on overdose risk, treatment engagement, and use of health care services among pregnant and postpartum people and their infants. It uses Johns Hopkins University as the site and follows policies related to the Family First Prevention Services Act to understand how funding for services influences outcomes. The study will analyze law implementation and may involve examining health records, reporting, and service utilization patterns to identify disparities across racial and ethnic groups. The goal is to inform policymakers and clinicians on which laws help or hinder families during pregnancy and after birth.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could guide lawmakers and healthcare teams to adopt or modify laws to improve safety, treatment access, and outcomes for pregnant people and their babies.
How similar studies have gone: There is limited evidence on how prenatal drug laws affect outcomes, making this a relatively novel but needed area of study.
Where this research is happening
-
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bandara, Sachini — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Bandara, Sachini
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.