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Commentary

Tackle Fentanyl like a Poisoning Outbreak, Not a Drug Epidemic

Sep 3, 2019

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.
Report

Synthetic Opioid Surge Is a U.S. Public Health Emergency

Aug 13, 2019

In less than six years, the number of fatal overdoses in the United States that involve synthetic opioids has increased tenfold. Where are synthetic opioids concentrated? And to what extent is the problem spreading?

Explore Opioids

News Release

Punishing Pregnant Women for Substance Use Is Linked to Higher Rates of Newborns Experiencing Opioid Withdrawal

State policies that impose punitive action against pregnant women who use illicit substances are associated with higher rates of infants being born with opioid withdrawal. This suggests that policymakers should instead focus on public health approaches that bolster prevention and expand access to treatment.

Nov 13, 2019
Commentary

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.

Oct 14, 2019
Blog

Virtual Societal Warfare, Iran, Opioids: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the risk of virtual societal welfare, Iran's domestic debates, federal policy options for supervised consumption sites, and more.

Oct 11, 2019
Research Brief

Understanding America's Surge in Fentanyl and Other Synthetic Opioids

Although overdose deaths from heroin and prescription opioids have declined, deaths involving synthetic opioids are on the rise. Much of the current wave of overdoses is linked to one synthetic opioid: fentanyl.

Oct 7, 2019
Blog

China's 70th Anniversary, Wargaming, Fentanyl: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on what the future holds for China, the importance of gender diversity in wargaming, how Army families address life's challenges, and more.

Oct 4, 2019
Journal Article

Access to Office-Based Buprenorphine Treatment in Areas With High Rates of Opioid-Related Mortality: An Audit Study

In the six jurisdictions with the highest rate of opioid-related mortality in 2016, the most prominent barrier to accessing buprenorphine treatment was the difficulty of finding clinicians.

Sep 23, 2019
Journal Article

Journal Article

Causes of Hospital Admission and Mortality Among People Who Use Heroin: A Cohort Study Comparing Relative and Absolute Risks

Age- and sex-specific mortality and hospital admission rates in the general population of London.

Sep 17, 2019
Journal Article

Who Receives Naloxone from Emergency Medical Services? Characteristics of Calls and Recent Trends

Administration of naloxone by emergency medical services personnel is increasing faster than opioid-related deaths.

Sep 17, 2019
Multimedia

Preparing for the Future of Fentanyl

Bryce Pardo and Beau Kilmer discuss recent trends in U.S. fatal overdoses and drug seizures, factors that have contributed to the rise of synthetic opioids in the U.S., what the future of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids looks like, and traditional and non-traditional policy options for addressing fentanyl problems.

Sep 13, 2019
Report

Characterization of the Synthetic Opioid Threat Profile to Inform Inspection and Detection Solutions

Researchers from the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center evaluated publicly available data to better understand consumption and supply of illegally imported synthetic opioids. In this report, they provide their findings and recommendations.

Sep 9, 2019
Report

How Law Enforcement Can Fight the Opioid Crisis

Law enforcement has a unique role in addressing the opioid crisis because it interacts with those affected by it on a day-to-day basis. Promising efforts include connecting people with opioid use disorder to treatment, collaborating to achieve community buy-in, and protecting officers on the front lines.

Sep 6, 2019
Project

Opioids Uncharted: Mapping America's Opioid Crisis

A RAND initiative to map the underexplored consequences of America's opioid crisis—and discover big-picture solutions.

Aug 29, 2019
News Release

News Release

U.S. Deaths Involving Synthetic Opioids Are Unprecedented; Policymakers Must Pursue Innovative Strategies to Reverse ...

The U.S. overdose crisis worsened dramatically with the arrival of synthetic opioids like fentanyl—now responsible for tens of thousands of deaths annually—and the problem requires innovative new strategies because the epidemic is unlike others that have struck the nation.

Aug 29, 2019
Report

Synthetic Opioids: An Unprecedented Crisis

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.

Aug 29, 2019
News Release

News Release

Americans' Spending on Illicit Drugs Nears $150 Billion Annually; Appears to Rival What Is Spent on Alcohol

Spending on cannabis, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine by Americans reached nearly $150 billion in 2016, with a large proportion of spending coming from the small share of people who use drugs on a daily or near-daily basis.

Aug 20, 2019
Report

How Big Is the U.S. Market for Cannabis, Cocaine, Heroin, and Meth?

Americans spent about $150 billion on cannabis, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine in 2016—rivaling U.S. spending on alcohol. This number is driven in large part by the small share of people who use drugs on a daily or near-daily basis.

Aug 20, 2019
Testimony

Testimony

Illicit Supply of Fentanyl and Other Synthetic Opioids: Transitioning Markets and Evolving Challenges: Addendum

Document submitted on August 19, 2019, as an addendum to testimony before the House Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism and Subcommittee on Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations on July 25, 2019.

Aug 20, 2019
Journal Article

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.

Aug 6, 2019

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