Beau Kilmer

State and Local Policy Is Changing for Psychedelics. What Will the Feds Do?

Psychedelics are attracting interest as a treatment for some mental health conditions. In response, some states and cities are changing their laws and policies on the supply and use of these mind-altering substances. But like cannabis, most psychedelics are federally prohibited—raising some tough questions for the federal government.

Everyone Over 21 Has a 'License to Drink.' When Should It Get Suspended?

Excessive drinking creates massive economic costs because of its effects on workplace productivity, health care expenditures, and crime. This raises the question: Should some people be required to stop drinking?

What's Next After Biden's Announcement on Cannabis and Racial Equity?

Cannabis legalization isn't just a yes-or-no choice. There are many ways for state and federal policymakers to shape the market and tax it. With deliberations in Washington, D.C., beginning and more states set to vote on the issue in November, now is the time for lawmakers to take stock of how potential changes will or won't help communities of color.

What Chesa Boudin's Replacement Can Do About Open-Air Drug Dealing

Successfully addressing open-air drug dealing in San Francisco will likely require transparency about consequences that drug dealers face; a rethinking of how such crimes are sanctioned; and collaboration between prosecutors, police, and the community.

Treating Supervised Drug Consumption Sites like Cannabis

Some communities hard hit by the opioid crisis are interested in opening supervised consumption sites—places where people who use drugs can do so under supervision of trained staff. What could be done to make it easier to pilot and evaluate these sites in the United States?

Being Mindful About Changing Psychedelic Policy in California

The question for California isn't really if psychedelic policy will change, but more likely how—and how quickly. Now is the time for the California State Legislature to consider holding hearings on psychedelics and creating a commission to assess regulatory options.

Don't Entangle COVID-19 Relief with Cannabis Legalization

Cannabis legalization is a multifaceted decision that has implications for health, safety, and social equity. Whether legalization could fund COVID-19 relief should not be a major focus of debates.

Revoking the 'License to Drink': Emerging Evidence on Mandatory Sobriety

After counties in South Dakota implemented a 24/7 sobriety program, repeat arrests for impaired driving decreased in the counties by an average of 12%. North Dakota implemented a similar program and also saw decreases in impaired driving. Can the same results be achieved outside of the Dakotas?

Synthetic Opioid Crisis Still Growing, Often Among Unwitting Users

Although opioid prescriptions in the U.S. have fallen, opioid overdose deaths remain at historic levels. The continued spread of fentanyl and other illicitly manufactured synthetic opioids suggests the problem could still get worse.

Tackle Fentanyl like a Poisoning Outbreak, Not a Drug Epidemic

America's fentanyl problem is far deadlier than past crises with other illegal drugs. New ideas, be they public policies, technologies or law enforcement strategies, are desperately needed. Continuing to treat fentanyl just like previous drug epidemics will likely be insufficient and may condemn thousands more to early deaths.

China's Ban on Fentanyl Drugs Won't Likely Stem America's Opioid Crisis

Given China's recent decision to ban the unauthorized manufacture of fentanyl, authorities there appear to recognize a growing problem. But China cannot solve the U.S. opioid problem. The United States could do more to reduce demand for opioids as well as drug users' exposure to these powerful drugs.

Addressing Federal Conflicts Over Supervised Drug Consumption Sites

With drug overdose deaths mounting, some American cities are trying to create designated spaces where people who use heroin and other drugs can have their consumption supervised by medical professionals. The Department of Justice argues these sites would violate federal law, but federal decisionmakers have several options.

Navigating Cannabis Legalization 2.0

As the next round of states debate marijuana legalization, they would do well to contemplate allowing state governments to control the wholesale prices and linking the price of cannabis to its potency.

How Will Cannabis Legalization Affect Alcohol Consumption?

How will legalization of recreational marijuana affect alcohol consumption? Will drinking go down because people substitute cannabis for alcohol? Or will drinking go up because cannabis and alcohol complement each other? These questions have important implications.

Should California Drop Criminal Penalties for Drug Possession?

Californians have a lot to consider when it comes to decriminalizing possession. But now is the time for a rigorous discussion about removing criminal penalties for drug possession, rather than rushing to judgment in the heat of a future election season.

Mixed Messages: Is Cocaine Consumption in the U.S. Going Up or Down?

Data lags and the elimination of the ADAM program complicate estimates of U.S. cocaine consumption. New users who haven't yet developed cocaine dependence are also a factor. It may be prudent to start planning for an increase in heavy use even before all of the evidence is in.

Trump's Marijuana Options

The new administration has at least six options for addressing marijuana. These are not mutually exclusive, and each comes with tradeoffs. All six are compatible with a federal approach that encourages discussions about prohibition and its alternatives.

The Legal Marijuana Middle Ground

There are many ways to legalize marijuana supply besides the for-profit approach. But to learn what effects various models have, the federal government will have to make it easier for states to implement some middle-ground options.

Your Questions About Marijuana Legalization, Answered

At least five states will vote on legal recreational marijuana this November. Drug policy expert Beau Kilmer hosted an “Ask Me Anything” session on Reddit to shed light on this and other issues.

Promises and Pitfalls of Cannabis Taxes

Setting the cannabis tax should not be considered a one-time event. Smart jurisdictions will revise their decisions over time to incorporate new data about taxes, testing, and the cannabis plant itself — without being influenced by those seeking to maximize profits.

Should Some Californians Lose Their 'License to Drink'?

In California, many efforts to reduce repeat drunken driving focus on the driving. What if the state targeted the 'drunk' aspect instead?

Researcher Q&A: Beau Kilmer on the State of Marijuana Legalization

Beau Kilmer, co-director of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center and a co-author of the nonpartisan primer Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know addresses developments in marijuana policy and why reasonable people can disagree about legalization.

If California Legalizes Marijuana, Consumption Will Likely Increase. But Is That a Bad Thing?

Legalizing and allowing profit-maximizing firms to produce, sell, and advertise recreational marijuana would likely increase marijuana consumption. But how would this increased consumption influence the use of other substances?

Could You Lose Your License to Drink?

Criminal justice reform requires creating demand for bold ideas about simultaneously reducing incarceration and crime. Given the prominent role alcohol plays in crime — and the strong results from South Dakota's 24/7 Sobriety program — suspending one's “license to drink” seems well worth considering.

The 10 Ps of Marijuana Legalization

Marijuana policy is a growing topic of discussion, and laws are starting to change. Ten choices confronting jurisdictions considering legalization cover many of the critical decisions that will determine whether removing prohibition is a good idea.

Unprecedented Changes in Marijuana Policy

The marijuana policy landscape changed dramatically in 2014. Legal sales for nonmedical purposes began in Colorado and in Washington state. Voters in Washington, D.C., Alaska, and Oregon passed initiatives to liberalize their marijuana laws. Uruguay also started implementing its marijuana legalization law.

Taking a Sober Look at Legalizing Marijuana

California and a handful of other states will probably vote on legal pot in 2016. Here are five suggestions to help policymakers who want to promote productive discussions.

Legalising Cannabis Is More Than Just a Yes or No Decision

Any truly honest discussion about how to regulate cannabis markets must start with clear objectives and goals. How these markets are opened can be as important as the decision to legalise cannabis.

Hard Drugs Demand Solid Understanding

Due to budget concerns the federal government just shut down a critical data source that provides insights into abuse, dependence on, and spending on heroin and other hard drugs like crack and methamphetamine.

The Feds' Role After Legalization

Since Colorado and Washington allow profit-maximizing firms to grow and sell marijuana, there is concern they will use advertising to promote consumption by heavy users. With help from the federal government, the states will be better positioned to head off the negative consequences associated with commercialization.

Has U.S. Gone Further Than Netherlands Over Marijuana?

Colorado and Washington will remove the prohibition on commercial marijuana production and distribution for nonmedical purposes and start regulating and taxing it. Not even the Netherlands goes that far, writes Beau Kilmer.

New Approach to Prison and the War on Drugs

If you want to reduce cocaine consumption and drug-related crime, you get more bang for the buck if you put money into treatment rather than paying for the increase in incarceration produced by federal mandatory minimum sentences, writes Beau Kilmer.

Legalization in the U.S. and Crime in Mexico

Driving Mexican marijuana out of the U.S. would probably reduce the traffickers' export revenue by a few billion dollars a year, writes Beau Kilmer. But would reducing that revenue lead to a corresponding decrease in trafficker violence?

7 Key Questions on Marijuana Legalization

Policymakers in Washington and Colorado are confronting some new and tricky issues that have never been addressed. For them, and for anyone else thinking about changing their pot laws, there are seven key decision areas that will shape the costs and benefits of marijuana legalization.

How Might the Federal Government React if States Legalize Marijuana?

This November, Washington state, Oregon, and Colorado voters will consider ballot measures to legalize the production, distribution, and possession of marijuana for nonmedical purposes. Even if voters pass these measures at the state level, marijuana will still be prohibited by the federal government, writes Beau Kilmer.

Important Facts About Marijuana Legalization

An excerpt from Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know, by Jonathan P. Caulkins, Angela Hawken, Beau Kilmer, Mark A. R. Kleiman, published by Oxford University Press (c) 2012 Oxford University Press.

The Marijuana Exception

Being honest about the uncertainties involved is the price of admission to any serious discussion about marijuana legalization, writes Beau Kilmer.

Prime Numbers: Doped

The illicit drug trade is the ultimate value-added chain. As cocaine and heroin make their perilous journeys from the fields of Colombia and Afghanistan to markets in U.S. and European cities, each border crossed and each trafficker involved adds dollars to a price, write Beau Kilmer And Peter Reuter.

Report

Alternatives to profit-maximising commercial models of cannabis supply for non-medical use

This study identifies and analyses alternative profit-maximising commercial models of cannabis supply for non-medical use, providing an overview of the regulatory frameworks for such models and evidence on the consequences of their implementation.

Journal Article

Comparing Organization-Focused and State-Focused Financing Strategies on Provider-Level Reach of a Youth Substance Use Treatment Model: A Mixed-Method Study

This study compared two US federal grant mechanisms, organization-focused and state-focused grants, on organization-level implementation outcomes for the Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach, an evidence-based practice for youth substance use.

Journal Article

Martin Y. Iguchi (1955-2021)

This article memorializes Martin Y. Iguchi (1955-2021). Dr. Iguchi was a pioneering clinical scientist and lifelong champion of equity and racial justice and he died after a lengthy illness on June 5, 2021.

Report

America's Opioid Ecosystem: How Leveraging System Interactions Can Help Curb Addiction, Overdose, and Other Harms

Patterns and consequences of opioid use are changing dramatically. Researchers provide a nuanced assessment of America's opioid ecosystem, highlighting how leveraging system interactions can reduce addiction, overdose, suffering, and other harms.

Visualization

The Ecosystem Approach to Opioid Policy

RAND researchers created a tool to help federal, state, and local policymakers better understand issues surrounding opioids as an ecosystem—and explore innovative policy ideas.

Journal Article

Association of an Alcohol Abstinence Program With Mortality in Individuals Arrested for Driving While Alcohol Impaired

Individual-level analysis finds that among those arrested for driving under the influence, participation in 24/7 Sobriety reduces risk of death during study period—on the order of 50 percent.

Commentary

Psychedelics and Veterans' Mental Health: The Evolving Legal and Policy Landscape in the United States

The federal government must consider how best to support veterans and their health care providers as the legal and policy landscape surrounding the therapeutic use of psychedelics continues to evolve.

Journal Article

Comparing Two Federal Financing Strategies on Penetration and Sustainment of the Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach for Substance Use Disorders: Protocol for a Mixed-Method Study

The project will advance understanding of effective financing strategies to support the implementation and sustainment of evidence-based practices for the treatment of adolescent substance use disorders.

Journal Article

How Much Illegally Manufactured Fentanyl Could the U.S. Be Consuming?

This article provides guidance through two thought experiments that provide a hypothetical upper bound on U.S. consumption of fentanyl.

Testimony

Giving Drug Policy Decisionmakers the Data They Need

Testimony submitted to the U.S. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control on June 22, 2022.

Journal Article

Rapid Changes in Illegally Manufactured Fentanyl Products and Prices in the United States

This analysis used data from drug seizures and undercover purchases to address two questions: To what extent does supply of illegally manufactured fentanyl (IMF) vary over time and geography? What has happened to the purity-adjusted price of IMF?

Journal Article

Can Novel 'Swift-Certain-Fair' Programs Work Outside of Pioneering Jurisdictions? An Analysis of 24/7 Sobriety in Montana, USA

South Dakota USA's 24/7 Sobriety Program appears to work in Montana as well. Certain delivery of immediate but modest sanctions for repeat driving under the influence (DUI) arrestees who violate alcohol abstinence orders appears to be able to reduce future DUI arrests.

Journal Article

Cannabis Legalization and Social Equity: Some Opportunities, Puzzles, and Trade-Offs

Legalization for nonmedical purposes may create new sources of disproportionate harm even as it alleviates some inequities associated with cannabis prohibition.

Journal Article

Illicit Synthetic Opioid Consumption in Asia and the Pacific: Assessing the Risks of a Potential Outbreak

While many illegally manufactured potent synthetic opioids (IMPSO) are produced in Asia, there is little evidence they have entered markets there. We consider the susceptibility to IMPSO's encroachment in markets in the Asia-Pacific region.

Journal Article

The Dawn of a New Synthetic Opioid Era: The Need for Innovative Interventions

This paper stems from recent research into understanding the past, present and possible futures of synthetic opioids in North America and beyond.

Journal Article

Variation in the Degree of Concentration of Prescription Opioid Utilization Using Different Measures

A small share of prescription opioid users account for a large percent of total prescription opioid use.

Journal Article

Criminal Deterrence: Evidence From an Individual-Level Analysis of 24/7 Sobriety

This paper provides policymakers with evidence for a new approach to reduce criminal activity among those whose alcohol use leads them to repeatedly threaten public health and safety.

Journal Article

A Natural Experiment to Test the Effect of Sanction Certainty and Celerity on Substance-Impaired Driving: North Dakota's 24/7 Sobriety Program

Over half of participants ordered to abstain from substance use complete 24/7 Sobriety without a detected substance use event. At the county level, the program is associated with a 9% reduction in substance-impaired driving arrests.

Journal Article

Still HOPEful: Reconsidering a "Failed" Replication of a Swift, Certain, and Fair Approach to Reducing Substance Use Among Individuals Under Criminal Justice Supervision

Combined with other studies of “swift-certain-fair”-style interventions, the HOPE replication further strengthens the conclusion that these methods reduce substance use among people under criminal justice supervision.

Journal Article

Comparison of Criminal-History Information Systems in the United States and Other Countries

This addresses the uses and sources of criminal-history records, procedures for assessing accuracy and completeness, efforts to improve the systems, and availability of records for operational and research purposes.

Research Brief

Understanding America's Surge in Fentanyl and Other Synthetic Opioids

This brief describes the results of a study about the surge in synthetic opioids in the United States. The authors found that limiting policy responses to existing approaches will likely be insufficient and may condemn many people to early deaths.

Journal Article

Triangulating Web & General Population Surveys: Do Results Match Legal Cannabis Market Sales?

This paper combines complementary attributes of web and general population surveys to estimate cannabis consumption and spending in Washington State.

Journal Article

Changing the Narrative: Police-Community Partnerships and Racial Reconciliation

This paper assesses community perceptions of crime and the police before and after the implementation of an intervention aimed at eliminating overt drug markets through focused deterrence and police-community partnerships emphasizing racial reconciliation.

Report

The Future of Fentanyl and Other Synthetic Opioids

Deaths involving synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, increased from roughly 3,000 in 2013 to more than 30,000 in 2018. This book provides readers with insights intended to improve their understanding of the synthetic opioid problem.

Report

What America's Users Spend on Illegal Drugs, 2006–2016

This report updates and extends estimates of the number of users, retail expenditures, and amount consumed from 2006 to 2016 for cocaine (including crack), heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine in the United States.

Report

The Synthetic Opioid Surge in the United States: Insights from Mortality and Seizure Data

The synthetic opioid surge in the United States is a public health emergency. The authors analyze drug overdose mortality and seizure data to better understand the evolution and concentration of the synthetic opioid problem in the United States.

Journal Article

Supervised Consumption Sites: A Nuanced Assessment of the Causal Evidence

Supervised consumption sites (SCS) operate in more than 10 countries. We review the higher-quality SCS literature and discuss the evidence through the lens of three types of decision makers and from three intellectual perspectives.

Report

After the Grand Opening: Assessing Cannabis Supply and Demand in Washington State

This report provides detailed information about state-legal cannabis production and sales in Washington, as well as insights about the total amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) obtained from legal and illegal sources by Washington residents.

Report

Contemporary Asian Drug Policy: Insights and Opportunities for Change

Changing patterns in drug use and supply can affect the well-being and development of Asian countries in many ways. RAND researchers discuss the shifting drug policy landscape in Asia, with a special focus on the Philippines, Thailand, and China.

Draft

Assessing the Evidence on Supervised Drug Consumption Sites

This working paper is part of a series of reports assessing the evidence on and arguments made about heroin-assisted treatment and supervised consumption sites and examining some of the issues associated with implementing them in the United States.

Report

Considering Heroin-Assisted Treatment and Supervised Drug Consumption Sites in the United States

In this mixed-methods report, the authors assess evidence on and arguments made about heroin-assisted treatment and supervised consumption sites and examine some of the issues associated with implementing them in the United States.

Testimony

Should Canada "Start Low and Go Slow" When It Comes to Cannabis Potency?

Testimony presented before the Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science, and Technology Senate of Canada on May 7, 2018.

Journal Article

Big Data on a Big New Market: Insights from Washington State's Legal Cannabis Market

This article examines the cannabis market in Washington state post-legalization, and the variety of products available to consumers.

Journal Article

Estimates of Law Enforcement Costs by Crime Type for Benefit-Cost Analyses

This paper generates state-level, crime-specific, average variable cost estimates for crime-response services conducted by police by crime type.

Journal Article

Exploring the Perils of Cross-national Comparisons of Drug Prevalence: The Effect of Survey Modality

The methods of contacting respondents and the technology for questioning respondents in household surveys complicate cross-country comparisons of drug prevalence.

Journal Article

Understanding and Learning from the Diversification of Cannabis Supply Laws

Prohibitions on producing, distributing, and selling cannabis are loosening in various jurisdictions around the world, but the evidence base for assessing changes in cannabis supply laws remains weak..

Testimony

Considering Cannabis Legalization in Canada: Prices, Taxes, and International Implications

Testimony presented before the House of Commons of Canada Standing Committee on Health on September 14, 2017.

Journal Article

Variation in Cannabis Potency and Prices in a Newly Legal Market: Evidence from 30 Million Cannabis Sales in Washington State

In Washington state, the potency and price of legal cannabis are currently being shaped by the market rather than by policy levers.

Journal Article

A Framework for Synthetic Control Methods With High-Dimensional, Micro-Level Data: Evaluating a Neighborhood-Specific Crime Intervention

Our study illustrates the advantages of using high-dimensional, micro-level data in the context of synthetic control methods.

Journal Article

Desistance Mandates Compared with Treatment Mandates in Criminal Justice Populations

Empowering those under criminal justice supervision to cease drug use on their own - rather than forcing them into formal treatment against their will - is a policy approach that warrants further evaluation.

Journal Article

Recreational Cannabis: Minimizing the Health Risks from Legalization

Legalizing recreational use of marijuana comes with a host of policy decisions, including how to regulate the supply, pricing, and access to the drug, and how to approach public health messaging on substance abuse prevention.

Journal Article

Uruguay's Middle-Ground Approach to Cannabis Legalization

This article discusses cannabis legalization in the Western Hemisphere, specifically Uruguay and the United States.

Journal Article

Considering Marijuana Legalization Carefully: Insights for Other Jurisdictions from Analysis for Vermont

Debates about the pros and cons of legalizing marijuana should also include detailed discussions of how best to implement legalization.

Journal Article

Using Respondent-Driven Sampling to Recruit Illegal Drug Purchasers to Evaluate a Drug Market Intervention

Respondent-driven sampling -- a peer-driven method of recruiting hidden populations -- can be used to create a representative sample of a drug market's users; the sample can then be surveyed to discern the effects of a Drug Market Intervention.

Journal Article

Bayesian Inference for the Distribution of Grams of Marijuana in a Joint

Analysts need to know how much marijuana is in a joint in order to better understand illicit marijuana markets, the size of potential legalized marijuana markets, and health and behavior outcomes.

Journal Article

Uncle Sam's Cocaine Nosedive: A Brief Exploration of a Dozen Hypotheses

The US cocaine market shrank by roughly 50% from 2006 to 2010, but it is too early to determine the cause.

Commercial Book

Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know (Second Edition)

This second edition details the potential gains and losses from legalization and explores the "middle ground" options between prohibition and commercialized production.

Journal Article

Can a Criminal Justice Alcohol Abstention Programme with Swift, Certain, and Modest Sanctions (24/7 Sobriety) Reduce Population Mortality? A Retrospective Observational Study

In this study we examine whether the 24/7 Sobriety programme in South Dakota, USA—the largest such programme to date—is associated with reductions in mortality.

Report

A Community-Based, Focused-Deterrence Approach to Closing Overt Drug Markets: A Process and Fidelity Evaluation of Seven Sites

This process evaluation describes how well seven jurisdictions adhered to a Bureau of Justice Assistance strategy to reduce overt drug markets, along with the barriers they encountered and lessons learned from their experiences.

Testimony

Marijuana Legalization, Government Revenues, and Public Budgets: Ten Factors to Consider

Testimony presented before the Vermont Senate Committee on Finance on January 19, 2016.

Commentary

Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol: Could California Do More to Prevent It?

RAND researchers consider whether California could do more to reduce driving under the influence (DUI) and other threats to public health and safety imposed by repeat DUI offenders.

Journal Article

Beyond Prevalence: Importance of Estimating Drug Consumption and Expenditures

Estimates of both the consumption of illegal drugs and user expenditures are important for informing drug policy development.

Draft

The Effect of Montana's 24/7 Sobriety Program on DUI Re-arrest: Insights from a Natural Experiment with Limited Administrative Data

Examines the effect of participation in Montana's sobriety program on the probability of DUI re-arrest for participants within twelve months of their second arrest date.

Journal Article

How Much of the Cocaine Market Are We Missing? Insights from Respondent-Driven Sampling in a Mid-Sized American City

This paper uses respondent-driven sampling (RDS) of drug users in a mid-sized American city to estimate the shares of cocaine (powder and crack) users and expenditures that are attributable to different combinations of these groups.

Commentary

Options and Issues Regarding Marijuana Legalization

This paper reviews recent changes in marijuana policies and the decisions that confront jurisdictions considering alternatives to traditional marijuana prohibition.

Research Brief

The Marijuana Legalization Debate: Insights for Vermont

Marijuana policy should not be viewed as a binary choice between prohibition and the for-profit commercial model seen in Colorado and Washington. Legalization encompasses a wide range of possible regimes.

Report

Considering Marijuana Legalization: Insights for Vermont and Other Jurisdictions

Marijuana legalization is a controversial and multifaceted issue. This report provides a foundation for thinking about the consequences of different marijuana policy options while being explicit about the uncertainties involved.

Journal Article

Back in the National Spotlight: An Assessment of Recent Changes in Drug Use and Drug Policies in the United States

Likely changes in drug policies and problems in the US over the next 30 years will have a substantial impact on international drug conventions and global drug policy.

Journal Article

Cocaine's Fall and Marijuana's Rise: Questions and Insights Based on New Estimates of Consumption and Expenditures in U. S. Drug Markets

The halving of the cocaine market in five years and the parallel (but independent) large rise in daily/near-daily marijuana use are major events that were not anticipated by the expert community and raise important theoretical, research, and policy issues.

Journal Article

Police Costs of the Drug Market Intervention: Insights from Two Cities

Implementing a Drug Market Intervention (DMI) in a single target area is estimated to cost a jurisdiction the equivalent of employing 1.7 to 2.3 full-time police officers for one year.

Journal Article

What Can Be Learned from Cross-National Comparisons of Data on Illegal Drugs?

Harmonizing measurement of drug policy indicators, such as prevalence of use, problematic use, and drug enforcement, would help improve cross-national comparisons of how nations deal with illicit drugs.

Report

Does San Francisco's Community Justice Center Reduce Criminal Recidivism?

In 2009, San Francisco opened the Community Justice Center (CJC), a community court serving a high-crime area. This report examines whether the CJC reduces the risk of rearrest when compared to more traditional approaches for addressing arrestees.

Journal Article

Are Users' Most Recent Drug Purchases Representative?

Various surveys now ask respondents to describe their most recent purchase of illicit drugs, as one mechanism through which market size can be estimated. This raises the question of whether issues surrounding the timing of survey administration might make a sample of most recent purchases differ from a random sample of all purchases.

Journal Article

Developing Public Health Regulations for Marijuana: Lessons from Alcohol and Tobacco

Government agencies in Colorado and Washington are now charged with granting production and processing licenses and developing regulations for legal marijuana, and other states and countries may follow.

Research Brief

How Big Is the U.S. Market for Illegal Drugs?

Using data from 2000 to 2010, RAND researchers estimated the number of users, expenditures, and consumption for four illicit drugs: cocaine (including crack), heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine (meth).

Report

What America's Users Spend on Illegal Drugs: 2000–2010

RAND researchers generated national estimates of the total number of users, total expenditures, and total consumption for four illicit drugs from 2000 to 2010: cocaine (including crack), heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine.

Journal Article

Criminal Justice Costs of Prohibiting Marijuana in California

This chapter assesses these previous efforts and describes a bottom-up approach to estimate the criminal justice costs of prohibiting marijuana in California.

Journal Article

Policy Designs for Cannabis Legalization: Starting with the Eight Ps

This paper does not address the question of whether cannabis should be legal; it instead focuses on the design considerations confronting jurisdictions that are pondering a change in cannabis policy.

Journal Article

Response to Stephanie A. Duriez, Francis T. Cullen, and Sarah M. Manchak: Theory and Evidence on the Swift-Certain-Fair Approach to Enforcing Conditions of Community Supervision

Swift-certain-fair sanctioning helps enforce the conditions of community corrections by substituting swiftness and certainty for severity and by increasing the predictability and perceived fairness of the process from the offender's viewpoint.

Report

Multinational overview of cannabis production regimes

This study provides a multinational overview of cannabis production regimes, with a special focus on identifying and describing official statements and/or legal decisions made about production regimes for non-medical and non-scientific purposes.

Report

Before the Grand Opening: Measuring Washington State's Marijuana Market in the Last Year Before Legalized Commercial Sales

This report estimates the total weight of marijuana consumed in Washington state in 2013 -- the last year before legalized commercial sale of marijuana -- in order to provide decisionmakers with baseline information about the size of the state's market.

Journal Article

Statistics on Cannabis Users Skew Perceptions of Cannabis Use

Collecting information about the prevalence of cannabis use is necessary but not sufficient for understanding the size, dynamics, and outcomes associated with cannabis markets.

Report

Developing Public Health Regulations for Legal Marijuana

Panelists talked about the public health effects of Colorado and Washington state's marijuana laws and lessons learned from alcohol and tobacco regulations.

Journal Article

Quasi-legal Cannabis in Colorado and Washington: Local and National Implications

In November 2012, Washington state and Colorado took the unprecedented step of legalizing commercial production and sale of cannabis for adult use, but all cannabis-related activities remain prohibited under the federal Controlled Substances Act.

Journal Article

Estimating the Size of the EU Cannabis Market

This report generates estimates of retail cannabis expenditure in the EU using new data about cannabis consumption and expenditures from a web survey conducted in seven Member States.

Journal Article

High Tax States: Options for Gleaning Revenue from Legal Cannabis

This Article seeks to broaden the revenue discussion about marijuana legalization with respect to policy goals, types of taxes, and components of revenue.

Journal Article

Insights About Cannabis Production and Distribution Costs in the EU

This report demonstrates how cannabis prices increase across the supply chain in the EU as distributors take additional mark ups to compensate themselves not only for shipping costs but also for the risks they assume.

Journal Article

Losing Your "License to Drink": The Radical South Dakota Approach to Heavy Drinkers Who Threaten Public Safety

In 2005, the state of South Dakota introduced an innovative approach to reduce problem drinking. Known as the 24/7 Sobriety Project. The program requires individuals arrested for or convicted of alcohol-involved offenses to submit to breathalyzer tests twice per day or wear an alcohol monitoring bracelet at all times.

Journal Article

Opioid Consumption and Substitution Treatment in Finland and Sweden: A Similar Path with Different Outcomes?

This chapter seeks to develop plausible hypotheses to account for the observed differences in opioid-consumption prevalence between Finland and Sweden.

Journal Article

Sizing National Heroin Markets in the EU: Insights from Self-Reported Expenditures in the Czech Republic and England

This report uses data about PHUs and estimates of weekly heroin expenditures in the Czech Republic and England to calculate the size and the volume of the market for these two countries.

Journal Article

Efficacy of Frequent Monitoring with Swift, Certain, and Modest Sanctions for Violations: Insights from South Dakota 24/7 Sobriety Project

In community supervision settings, frequent alcohol testing with swift, certain, and modest sanctions for violations can reduce problem drinking and improve public health outcomes.

Journal Article

The Whole Is Just the Sum of Its Parts: Limited Polydrug Use Among the "Big Three" Expensive Drugs in the United States

Data from surveys of arrestees and the household population in the U.S. suggest there is only modest overlap among demand for the big three expensive illegal drugs (cocaine/crack, heroin, and methamphetamine).

Research Brief

An Innovative Way to Curb Problem Drinking: South Dakota's 24/7 Sobriety Project

South Dakota's 24/7 Sobriety Project, in which individuals with alcohol-involved offenses submit to breathalyzer tests twice per day or wear an alcohol monitoring bracelet at all times, reduced repeat DUI arrests at the county level by 12 percent.

Report

The U.S. Drug Policy Landscape: Insights and Opportunities for Improving the View

This paper provides a nonpartisan primer on U.S. drug use and drug policy. It aims to bring those new to drug policy up to speed and provide ideas to researchers and potential funders about how they could make strong contributions to the field.

Journal Article

Epidemiological Model for Examining Marijuana Use Over the Life Course

Trajectories of drug use are usually studied empirically by following over time persons sampled from either the general population (most often youth and young adults) or from heavy or problematic users (e.g., arrestees or those in treatment).

Journal Article

Design Considerations for Legalizing Cannabis: Lessons Inspired by Analysis of California's Proposition 19

How legalizing marijuana would affect consumption and tax revenues will depend on many design choices including tax level, incentives for a continued black market, whether advertising is restricted, and how the regulatory system is designed and adjusted.

Journal Article

Mitos De La Mota

Having a greater knowledge of the amount of marijuana consumed and produced in each country will sustain substantially informed debates both sides of the border.

Journal Article

Multisite Cost Analysis of a School-Based Voluntary Alcohol and Drug Prevention Program

The large cross-school variation in the cost of implementing Project CHOICE (a voluntary after-school prevention program for adolescents) highlights the importance of collecting cost information from multiple sites.

Report

Development of a European Crime Report: Improving safety and justice with existing crime and criminal justice data

The European Commission seeks to develop a European Crime Report (ECR) to improve understanding of the EU crime and justice situation. RAND Europe researched the analytical and operational challenges and opportunities to developing an ECR.

Research Brief

What Is the Impact of Using Evidence-Based Treatments for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Depression in Veterans?

If all veterans suffering from major depression and posttraumatic stress disorder were to receive evidence-based treatments, policy simulations suggest that cost savings generated would be $138 million (15 percent) over two years.

Journal Article

Heterogeneity in the Composition of Marijuana Seized in California

The chemical compounds found in marijuana deserve more attention as efforts to regulate marijuana for medical and recreational use go forward.

Journal Article

Bringing Perspective to Illicit Markets: Estimating the Size of the U.S. Marijuana Market

The authors review two general approaches to drug market estimation--supply-side and demand-side--before turning to a more specific analysis of studies that measure the size of the U.S. marijuana market.

Journal Article

An Analysis of Applicants Presenting to a Medical Marijuana Specialty Practice in California

This study provides descriptive information about 1,655 applicants in California who sought a physician's recommendation for medical marijuana, the conditions for which they sought treatment, and the diagnoses made by the physicians.

Journal Article

Invisible Wounds, Visible Savings? Using Microsimulation to Estimate the Costs and Savings Associated with Providing Evidence-Based Treatment for PTSD and Depression to Veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom

This study simulated the social costs and savings of providing universal access to care for depression and PTSD to troops returning from Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

Research Brief

How Might Marijuana Legalization in California Affect Drug Trafficking Revenues and Violence in Mexico?

Discusses whether legalizing marijuana in California would reduce the revenues of Mexican drug trafficking organizations and related violence.

Testimony

Insights on the Effects of Marijuana Legalization on Prices and Consumption

Testimony presented before the California State Assembly Public Safety Committee and California State Senate Public Safety Committee on September 21, 2010.

Periodical

RAND Review: Vol. 34, No. 2, Summer 2010

Features discuss retirement patterns of baby boomers, marijuana legalization, drug enforcement in Europe, and No Child Left Behind; news items cover the Gulf coast, food allergies, the U.S. health reform law, police benefits, and Pakistani militants.

Report

Altered State? Assessing How Marijuana Legalization in California Could Influence Marijuana Consumption and Public Budgets

Legalizing marijuana in California would lead to a substantial decline in price, but there is much uncertainty about legalization's effect on public budgets and consumption; even minor changes in assumptions lead to major differences in outcomes.

Research Brief

How Might Marijuana Legalization in California Affect Public Budgets and Marijuana Consumption?

Legalizing marijuana in California would lead to a substantial decline in price, but there is much uncertainty about legalization's effect on public budgets and consumption; even minor changes in assumptions lead to major differences in outcomes.

Research Brief

Better understanding efforts to reduce the supply of illicit drugs

To better understand illegal drug markets and supply-reduction efforts in the European Union, data on purity-adjusted prices must be collected. Member states can learn more about supply reduction by changing how they report seizure data.

Report

Tackling problem drug use

Describes how the British Government's narrower focus of problem drug use on most significant harms may be useful, but carries risks and drawbacks. We find the UK Drug Strategy draws on robust evidence for drug treatment and drug-related crime.

Report

Understanding illicit drug markets, supply-reduction efforts, and drug-related crime in the European Union

Based on literature, expert insights, and a conceptual framework, this study identifies a number of recommendations for improving the understanding of illicit drug markets, supply reduction efforts, and drug-related crime in the EU.

Journal Article

Preventing Drug Use

This book chapter reviews the literature on the effectiveness of substance use prevention and the effect of substance use on education, employment, and earnings.

Journal Article

Risks and Prices: The Role of User Sanctions in Marijuana Markets

Lowering the legal risks for marijuana users increases the demand for the drug, and consequently, increases prices and profits for drug dealers.

Report

Reducing Drug Trafficking Revenues and Violence in Mexico: Would Legalizing Marijuana in California Help?

This paper examines how marijuana legalization in California might influence drug-trafficking organizations' revenues and violence in Mexico.

Report

Estimating the size of the global drug market: A demand-side approach: Report 2

The report generates country-level consumption and retail expenditure estimates for cannabis, heroin, cocaine, and amphetamine-type substances.

Report

Issues in estimating the economic cost of drug abuse in consuming nations: Report 3

This report presents a conceptual framework for constructing an estimate of the global cost of drug use. However, we conclude that it is not possible at this time to develop a meaningful comparative estimate of the cost of drug use across countries.

Report

Assessing Changes in Global Drug Problems, 1998-2007: Main Report

This report provides key findings of the RAND Europe study which assesses how the global market for illicit drugs has developed from 1998 to 2007 and describes worldwide drug policies implemented during that period to address the problem.

Research Brief

The Costs of Methamphetamine Use: A National Estimate

The economic cost of methamphetamine use reached more than an estimated $23 billion in 2005, mostly from the intangible burden that addiction places on dependent users and their premature mortality and from crime and criminal justice costs.

Report

The Economic Cost of Methamphetamine Use in the United States, 2005

The first national estimate of the economic cost of methamphetamine considers burdens of addiction, early death, drug treatment, lost productivity, crime and criminal justice, health care, production and environmental hazards, and child endangerment.

Journal Article

Overview of Drug Treatment for Drug-Abusing Criminal Offenders: Insights from California's Proposition 36 and Arizona's Proposition 200

California's Proposition 36 and Arizona's Proposition 200 allowed some drug-abusing criminal offenders to enter drug treatment instead of being incarcerated. This policy brief provides early results of the two programs.

Journal Article

The Dynamics of Deterrence

Game theory and other simulations show that, if potential criminal offenders are sufficiently deterrable, increasing the conditional probability of punishment (given violation) can reduce the amount of punishment actually inflicted, by "tipping" a situation from its high-violation equilibrium to its low-violation equilibrium.

Journal Article

Prime Numbers Doped: How Two Plants Wreak Havoc on the Countries That Produce and Consume Them--And Everyone in Between

Report

Invisible Wounds of War: Psychological and Cognitive Injuries, Their Consequences, and Services to Assist Recovery

A comprehensive study of the post-deployment health-related needs associated with post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression, and traumatic brain injury among servicemembers returning from Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

Report

A synthesis of literature on the effectiveness of community orders

The U.K. National Audit Office (NAO) commissioned RAND Europe to conduct this review to identify and synthesize international research about the effectiveness of community orders in reducing re-offending.

Journal Article

Does Parolee Drug Testing Influence Employment and Education Outcomes? Evidence from a Randomized Experiment with Noncompliance

Despite the ubiquity of drug testing in criminal justice settings, there is little experimental evidence suggesting that testing reduces drug use or engenders pro-social behavior. This paper estimates the effect of parolee drug testing on labor and education outcomes with data from a randomized experiment involving 1,958 young parolees.

Journal Article

The Future of DIRECT Surveillance: Drug and Alcohol Use Information from REmote and Continuous Testing

The focus of this essay is on alcohol use among probationers and parolees, but is also explores use of electronic monitoring technologies in other settings, and for other drugs.

Journal Article

Risks and Prices: The Role of User Sanctions in Marijuana Markets

User sanctions influence the legal risk for participants in illegal drug markets.

Draft

Marijuana and Crime: Is There a Connection Beyond Prohibition?

Draft

Barriers to Treatment Entry: Case Studies of Applicants Approved for Admission

Barriers to Treatment Entry: Case Studies of Applicants Approved for Admission

Draft

Linking Drug Users With Treatment: Admissions Counselors Describe the Barriers

Linking Drug Users With Treatment: Admissions Counselors Describe the Barriers

Journal Article

Research on Drugs-Crime Linkages: The Next Generation