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Drug Markets and Supply

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Report
The Varied Supply Models for Recreational Cannabis
The supply and possession of cannabis for non-medical use is legal in multiple jurisdictions around the globe, with some U.S. states and Canadian provinces allowing for-profit companies to produce and sell cannabis. What are potential options that step away from prohibition without allowing a profit-oriented market to emerge?
Nov 1, 2023
Commentary
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.
Jun 12, 2023

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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.
Sep 12, 2017
Journal Article
Police Legitimacy and Disrupting Overt Drug Markets
The study investigates mechanisms thought to support immediate and sustained change after a DMI by analyzing qualitative data collected in community focus groups conducted at three-, six-, and 15-months following a DMI across three different sites.
Jun 30, 2017
Multimedia
States vs. the Federal Government: Marijuana Legalization in the United States
In this June 9th, 2017 congressional briefing, Beau Kilmer, codirector of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center, provides an overview of recent changes in marijuana policies as well as options for the federal government.
Jun 9, 2017
Journal Article
Medical Marijuana and Marijuana Legalization
State actions to relax marijuana policies vary substantially, making it difficult to compare policies and draw conclusions about user and market reactions.
May 31, 2017
Report
Mid-Term Assessment of the EU Drugs Strategy 2013–2020 and Final Evaluation of the Action Plan on Drugs 2013–2016: Final report
The report sets out the findings of an evaluation that assesses the degree of implementation of the EU Drugs Strategy 2013-2020 and the Action Plan 2013-2016 in all 28 EU Member States in terms of outputs and, where possible, impacts.
May 24, 2017
Journal Article
Early Impacts of Marijuana Legalization: An Evaluation of Prices in Colorado and Washington
Analysis of marijuana price data in Colorado and Washington suggests that short-term evaluations of legalization's effects on marijuana consumption are not necessarily indicative of long-term effects.
May 23, 2017
Journal Article
Advancing Knowledge on Cannabis Policy Using Evidence from North America
The production and dissemination of sound evidence is a vital part of policy reform regarding the legalization of marijuana.
May 9, 2017
Commentary
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.
Apr 28, 2017
Commentary
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.
Jan 17, 2017
Commentary
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.
Dec 1, 2016
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.
Nov 23, 2016
Report
Mid-Term Assessment of the EU Drugs Strategy 2013-2020 and Final Evaluation of the Action Plan on Drugs 2013-2016: Public consultation on the evaluation of the EU Drugs Strategy: Report of results
A mandatory public consultation was conducted to inform the Mid-Term Assessment of the EU Drugs Strategy 2013-2020 and the final evaluation of the EU Action Plan on Drugs 2013-2016. This document reports on the consultation's results.
Sep 22, 2016
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.
Sep 8, 2016
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.
Sep 8, 2016
Commentary
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.
Aug 22, 2016
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.
Jul 1, 2016
Journal Article
Modeling the Structure and Operation of Drug Supply Chains: The Case of Cocaine and Heroin in Italy and Slovenia
This study of cocaine and heroin distribution networks in Italy and Slovenia explores a new approach to modeling such networks and identifying different market levels, defined by the quantity and frequency of sales and ranging from international brokers to wholesale distributors to retail dealers.
Jun 2, 2016
Q&A
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.
May 26, 2016
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.
May 4, 2016
Commercial Book
Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know
A crisp, clear, and comprehensive non-partisan primer, this book covers the risks and benefits of use, current trends, and marijuana laws around the world. The authors discuss the costs and benefits of legalization as well as possible policy options.
May 2, 2016

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Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Alejandro Roa Contreras

Ph.D. Student, Pardee RAND Graduate School, and Assistant Policy Researcher, RAND

Alejandro Roa Contreras is a Ph.D. student in the Research, Analysis, and Design stream at the Pardee RAND Graduate School and an assistant policy researcher at RAND. He has an M.Sc. in methods for public policy analysis and a B.Sc. in public policy from the Centro de Investigación y Docencia…
Ben Senator

Ph.D. Candidate, Pardee RAND Graduate School, and Assistant Policy Researcher, RAND

Ben Senator is a Ph.D. candidate at Pardee RAND Graduate School and an assistant policy researcher at the RAND Corporation working in the area of drug policy. He was formerly a research assistant at RAND Europe. His research interests lie in the public health and social impacts of regulatory…

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