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Research Brief

Consider a Range of Policy Areas to Solve the Opioid Crisis

Jul 3, 2018

Many thoughtful policies have been implemented to reduce access to opioids and enhance treatment for addiction. But policies targeting one part of the system can have unintended effects on another. To combat the crisis, decisionmakers will need to weigh potential policy outcomes across the entire opioid ecosystem.
Report

Considering Heroin-Assisted Treatment and Supervised Drug Consumption Sites in America

Dec 6, 2018

Increasing access to medications like methadone and buprenorphine is essential to addressing the U.S. opioid crisis. But the severity of the crisis warrants examining additional interventions. What does the evidence suggest about heroin-assisted treatment and supervised consumption sites? And what are some of the issues associated with implementing them in the United States?

Explore Opioids

Commentary

Opioids and a Crisis of Unintended Consequences

The reformulation of OxyContin in 2010 made it more difficult to abuse, but has been linked to an increase in hepatitis C infections. As policymakers consider additional approaches to curb opioid abuse, they should be mindful that any strategy may have unintended consequences, and be prepared to respond.

Feb 20, 2019
News Release

Reformulation of OxyContin to Discourage Abuse Linked to Higher Rates of Hepatitis C Infections

Reformulation of the pain medicine OxyContin in 2010 to make it more difficult to abuse directly led to a large rise in hepatitis C infections as drug abusers switched from the prescription medication to injectable heroin.

Feb 4, 2019
Journal Article

Journal Article

Association Among County-Level Economic Factors, Clinician Supply, Metropolitan or Rural Location, and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

This analysis found a significant association among higher long-term unemployment, higher mental health clinician shortage areas, and higher county-level rates of neonatal abstinence syndrome.

Feb 1, 2019
News Release

Study Links Long-Term Unemployment to Increase in Babies Born with Opioid Withdrawal

Babies born after being exposed to opioids before birth are more likely to be delivered in regions of the U.S. with high rates of long-term unemployment and lower levels of mental health services.

Jan 30, 2019
Journal Article

Journal Article

Effect of Age on Opioid Prescribing, Overdose, and Mortality in Massachusetts, 2011 to 2015

Older age was the strongest predictor of undergoing potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP) among individuals who were prescribed opioids. PIP was also associated with risk of adverse outcomes in both older and younger adults.

Jan 29, 2019
News Release

News Release

Providing Supervised Medical-Grade Heroin to Heavy Users Can Reduce Harms; Approach Merits Pilot Study in U.S.

Providing supervised access to medical-grade heroin to people whose use continues after trying multiple traditional treatments has been successful in other countries, and should be piloted and studied in the United States.

Dec 6, 2018
Journal Article

Supply-Side Drug Policy in the Presence of Substitutes: Evidence from the Introduction of Abuse-Deterrent Opioids

The recent increase in heroin deaths is primarily fueled by the reformulation of OxyContin.

Oct 31, 2018
Report

Report

Effects of Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for Opioid Use Disorder on Functional Outcomes: A Systematic Review

This systematic review synthesizes evidence on the effects of medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder on functional outcomes, including cognitive, physical, occupational, social/behavioral, and neurological function.

Oct 30, 2018
Journal Article

Data Sources and Data-Linking Strategies to Support Research to Address the Opioid Crisis: Final Report

This report highlights key research questions and identifies opportunities to use existing data sources and implement data-linking strategies that can support the HHS five point strategy to combat the opioid crisis.

Oct 16, 2018
Commentary

In Opioid Policy, One Size Does Not Fit All

To solve America's opioid crisis, policymakers will need to view the epidemic as an “ecosystem,” where policies that target only one part of the problem can have unintended consequences.

Oct 12, 2018
News Release

New Curriculum Offered to Teach Opioid Risks to Middle School Students

A new and free science-based curriculum designed to teach adolescents about the risks of opioids has been released by Project ALERT, a national evidence-based drug education program created and managed by RAND.

Sep 24, 2018
Announcement

Announcement

19th U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy Elected to RAND Board of Trustees

Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, 19th Surgeon General of the United States, has been elected to the RAND Corporation Board of Trustees.

Sep 14, 2018
Journal Article

Nearly Thirty Percent of Physicians' Opioid Prescriptions Lack a Pain Diagnosis

Medical use of opioids has increased dramatically over the past two decades, far exceeding increases in the prevalence of pain. No pain diagnosis was recorded at 28.5 percent of physician visits in which an opioid was prescribed.

Sep 14, 2018
Announcement

NIH Funds RAND Corporation Opioid Research Center Dedicated to Policies for Addressing the National Crisis

A research center dedicated to identifying effective policies for combating the nation's opioid epidemic has been established at the RAND Corporation, supported by a $7.2 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a component of the National Institutes of Health.

Sep 10, 2018
Multimedia

Evolution of the U.S. Overdose Crisis

An overview of testimony by Bryce Pardo presented before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations on September 6, 2018.

Sep 6, 2018
Testimony

China's Role in the U.S. Synthetic Opioid Market

Illicitly sourced synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, are involved in most of today's overdose deaths. Though most of these substances appear to come from China, many dimensions of this problem are unclear. Understanding the shifting supply of opioids is critical to addressing the overdose crisis.

Sep 6, 2018
Multimedia

Improving Access to Opioid Addiction Treatment

Treatment for opioid addiction and other substance use disorders often exists apart from primary care. It's also difficult to access and under-resourced. In response to these challenges, RAND's Katherine Watkins developed an innovative approach to addiction treatment through primary care settings.

Sep 1, 2018
Infographic

Managing Pain with Alternative Therapies

This infographic compiles information from hundreds of reviews of the evidence on the effect of alternative and integrative therapies, such as acupuncture, mindfulness (meditation), and Tai Chi, on different types of pain.

Aug 24, 2018
Journal Article

Journal Article

Expanding the Role of Clinical Pharmacists on Interdisciplinary Primary Care Teams for Chronic Pain and Opioid Management

Insufficient local staffing may limit the time a clinical pharmacist has to address both chronic disease and opioid management.

Aug 24, 2018

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