RAND-USC Schaeffer OPTIC

At RAND-USC Schaeffer OPTIC, we take very seriously our commitment to be a national resource for opioid policy science. Webinars are part of our ongoing commitment to share research findings in ways that are useful for the field. Two recent webinars by Sean Grant highlight our ongoing efforts to offer colleagues new research skills and tools. One webinar discussed expert consensus on the effectiveness and implementability of state-level opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment policies, referencing the OPTIC Policy Profiles, which summarize expert views of each policy to inform future decisionmaking on state-level OUD treatment policies.

A second webinar conducted by Grant discussed ROMPER—the RAND/USC OPTIC Method for Policy Expert Ratings—an online expert panel approach for identifying expert views on the effectiveness and implementability of population-level policy interventions, describing how to implement ROMPER protocols, materials, and code.

Another essential component of our commitment to make our research useful for others is developing user-friendly tools. The OPTIC R Repository and Tutorial for Creating Policy Wheel Data Visualizations allows users to create OPTIC-style policy wheel data visualizations that illustrate the timeline over which state policies are implemented.

As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions at OPTIC@rand.org.

View All Publications »

Addressing the Opioid Crisis Among Older Americans: Strategies for Prevention, Treatment, and Supporting Families Affected by Addiction

Testimony presented by Bradley D. Stein before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging

As Overdose Epidemic Shifts, Higher Doses of Addiction Treatment May Benefit Patients Long Term

USC Schaeffer

Higher Doses of Buprenorphine May Improve Treatment Outcomes for People with Opioid Use Disorder

National Institutes of Health

Making Sense of Policy Evaluations for State Policymakers

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

How Do Restrictions on Opioid Prescribing, Harm Reduction, and Treatment Coverage Policies Relate to Opioid Overdose Deaths in the United States in 2013-2020? An Application of a New State Opioid Policy Scale. Doonan et al, Int J Drug Policy. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39847857/

Hepatitis C Treatment in Kentucky Medicaid Recipients with Concurrent Opioid Use Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Study. Sugarman et al, J Gen Intern Med. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39838249/

Experiences of the Changing Illicit Drug Supply Among Racial and Ethnic Minoritized People in Three U.S. States: a Qualitative Study. Saloner et al, Harm Reduction Journal https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39567985/

Groundbreaking Research from NIDA Addressing the Challenges of the Opioid Epidemic. Volkow and Dye. J Med Toxicol https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39514164/

Sex Disparities in Outcome of Medication-Assisted Therapy of Opioid Use Disorder: Nationally Representative Outpatient Clinic Data. Butelman et al, DAD https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39788040/

Cannabis Policies, Cannabis, and Opioids in Suicide and Undetermined Intent Death. Lira et al, Am J Prev Med https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39615767/

An Interrupted Time Series Analysis of Fentanyl, Naloxone, and Opioid-Involved Deaths in Five Counties in Eastern Missouri. Newman et al, J Subst Use Addict Treat https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39505112/

Understanding the Opioid Syndemic in North Carolina: A Novel Approach to Modeling and Identifying Factors. Murphy et al, Biostatistics https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39865701/

Target Trial Emulation for Evaluating Health Policy. Seewald et al, Ann Intern Med https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39374529/

OPTIC researchers will be presenting at:

• The International Society for the Study of Drug Policy (ISSDP) Conference in Manchester, UK, June 11 to 13
• ASHEcon in Nashville, TN, June 22-25, 2025
• Academy Health Annual Research Meeting, in Minneapolis, MN, June 7-10, 2025