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Controlled Substances and Illegal Drugs

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Report

Synthetic Opioids: An Unprecedented Crisis

Aug 29, 2019

The rise of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids is unlike any drug crisis in U.S. history. Limiting policy responses to existing approaches will likely be insufficient and may condemn many people to early deaths.
Report

How Is the Cannabis Market in Washington State Changing?

Aug 2, 2019

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

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Journal Article

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

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

May 13, 2022
Periodical

RAND Review: May-June 2022

The cover story explores what prison-based programs are available to help incarcerated parents and their children. Another feature examines ways to help social media users navigate the online extremist ecosystem.

May 11, 2022
Blog

How Data Can Help Refugees, Homelessness in L.A., Harm Reduction: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on tapping into Facebook data to help refugees, addressing homelessness in Los Angeles, understanding burnout among health care providers, and more.

May 6, 2022
Multimedia

Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking

This video provides an overview of the Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking, including its purpose, research, and findings.

May 3, 2022
Commentary

Fentanyl Makes an Already Dangerous Drug Market Deadlier Than Ever

Failure to recognize and respond to how rapidly illegal drug markets have changed with the arrival of illegally manufactured synthetic opioids will continue to put many Americans at risk of exposure to fentanyl, endangering the lives of hundreds of thousands more for years to come.

May 2, 2022
Blog

A Peacekeeping Operation in Ukraine, Synthetic Opioids, Geoengineering: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on why it may be time to consider a peacekeeping operation in northern Ukraine, supporting veterans with traumatic brain injury, a new response to synthetic opioids, and more.

Apr 29, 2022
Commentary

A Greater Focus On Harm Reduction Will Save Lives

For decades, elected officials brushed off harm reduction as a viable option for reducing the harms of drug use over concerns of enabling drug consumption. But now, these strategies are front and center, spoken aloud, from the largest podium in the land, and during prime time. What caused this historic about-face?

Apr 29, 2022
Q&A

A New Approach to Fighting Synthetic Opioids: Q&A with David Luckey and Jayme Fuglesten

The opioid crisis isn't just about drug policy or law. It involves national security, homeland security, intelligence, diplomacy, supply chain issues, and cryptocurrency. Drawing on RAND's expertise across all those areas, the Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking delivered a plan, a call to action about what it's going to take to save lives.

Apr 26, 2022
Journal Article

Beyond State Scope of Practice Laws for Advanced Practitioners: Additional Supervision Requirements for Buprenorphine Prescribing

This study of state laws governing buprenorphine prescribing found that these vary; nurse practitioner and physician assistant supervision should include state non-scope of practice laws.

Mar 31, 2022
Journal Article

Association of Individual and Community Factors With Hepatitis C Infections Among Pregnant People and Newborns

US hepatitis C viral infections among pregnant women grew fastest among White and American Indian/Alaska Native people without a 4-year degree.

Mar 29, 2022
Journal Article

Assessment of Postoperative Opioid Prescriptions Before and After Implementation of a Mandatory Prescription Drug Monitoring Program

In this study of adult patients who received a postoperative prescription for opioid medication, mandatory consultation with EHR-based alerts was associated with decreases in prescription quantities.

Mar 29, 2022
Blog

Insights on Russia's War in Ukraine, Global Citizenship, Vaccination Equity: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on Russia's war on Ukraine, medication treatment for patients with opioid use disorder, promoting global citizenship in America, and more.

Mar 25, 2022
Journal Article

Subsequent Buprenorphine Treatment Following Emergency Physician Buprenorphine Prescription Fills: A National Assessment 2019 to 2020

This study examined the rates of subsequent buprenorphine treatment for buprenorphine-naïve individuals filling buprenorphine prescriptions from emergency physicians and initiated buprenorphine treatment and how such rates varied before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mar 23, 2022
News Release

Most People Who Receive Medication in Emergency Departments to Treat Opioid Use Disorder Do Not Sustain the Treatment

Most people who fill prescriptions from emergency physicians to treat their opioid use disorder do not continue to receive the medication, suggesting new approaches are needed to help people continue drug treatment begun on an emergency basis.

Mar 21, 2022
Commentary

A New and More Dangerous Drug Market Requires a New Approach

Synthetic opioids are likely to increasingly reach illegal drug markets. Failure to recognize and respond to how rapidly drug markets have changed with the arrival of illegally manufactured synthetic opioids will continue to put many at risk of exposure to fentanyl, endangering the lives of hundreds of thousands more Americans for years to come.

Mar 16, 2022
Report

Quality and Safety of Pain Care in the Military Health System

Pain is the leading cause of disability among active-duty service members. Given its potential impact on well-being and force readiness, providing high-quality treatment is a strategic priority. An assessment of outpatient care for acute and chronic pain, including opioid prescribing, can help the MHS continue to improve care.

Mar 16, 2022
Journal Article

Cannabis Legalization and Cannabis-Involved Pregnancy Hospitalizations in Colorado

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the association between presence of recreational cannabis dispensaries and prevalence of cannabis-involved pregnancy hospitalizations in Colorado.

Mar 4, 2022
Journal Article

Changes in Emergency Department Encounters for Vomiting After Cannabis Legalization in Colorado

The findings of this study suggest that cannabis legalization in Colorado is associated with an increase in annual vomiting-related health care encounters with regard to exposure to these markets.

Mar 4, 2022
Journal Article

Comparison of Hospital Claims and Poison Center Data to Evaluate Health Impact of Opioids, Cannabis and Synthetic Cannabinoids

This study demonstrates the differences in surveillance methodology for concurrent drug abuse epidemics using hospital claims and PC data. Both systems provide incomplete reports, but in combination can provide a more complete picture.

Mar 4, 2022
Journal Article

APCDs Can Provide Important Insights for Surveilling the Opioid Epidemic, With Caveats

We compared Colorado's all-payer claims databases with other state-level databases, using analyses comparing quarterly rates of opioid-involved inpatient and emergency department visits and rates of 30-day opioid fills.

Mar 4, 2022

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