ASTHO’s Public Health Legal Mapping Center

Public health and law are interwoven, shaping how communities interact and people experience the world around them. Legal mapping is the scientific process of analyzing state and territorial laws concerning a legal topic at either a particular point in time (cross-sectional) or its change over a period (longitudinal). This page features ASTHO’s legal mapping work to plot the legal landscape for public health priorities. These interactive maps and tables aim to explore trends, track shifts in the law over time, and assist in understanding intricate public health law and policy questions.

Currently, ASTHO legal maps cover policies to prevent or reduce overdose, improve suicide prevention, and strengthen public health infrastructure. 

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Overdose Prevention

These maps visualize the legal and legislative research on policies intended to prevent overdose across 50 states, four territories, and Washington D.C.

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Public Health Infrastructure

These maps visualize ASTHO's ongoing public health and health care workforce legislative tracking and public agency use of artificial intelligence.

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A compass sits on a map of the continental United States

Suicide Prevention

This map visualizes legal research on select suicide prevention policies across 55 jurisdictions.

Explore the Map

This work was supported by funds made available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Center for STLT Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce, through OE22-2203: Strengthening U.S. Public Health Infrastructure, Workforce, and Data Systems grant. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.