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Substance Use Harm Reduction

Commentary

China's Ban on Fentanyl Drugs Won't Likely Stem America's Opioid Crisis

Given China's recent decision to ban the unauthorized manufacture of fentanyl, authorities there appear to recognize a growing problem. But China cannot solve the U.S. opioid problem. The United States could do more to reduce demand for opioids as well as drug users' exposure to these powerful drugs.

May 22, 2019
News Release

Allowing Pharmacists to Directly Dispense Opioid Antidote Can Sharply Cut Opioid Overdose Deaths

Allowing pharmacists to dispense the opioid antidote naloxone without a physician's prescription can sharply reduce the incidence of fatal opioid-related overdoses. States that adopted such laws saw fatal opioid overdoses fall by an average of 27 percent during the second year following passage and 34 percent in subsequent years.

May 6, 2019
Blog

A Holistic Approach to Solving the Opioid Crisis

While federal, state and, local governments deploy strategies to tackle the opioid crisis, the problem continues to proliferate. RAND researchers suggest that these strategies fail to solve the larger problem because they've largely been developed in silos. The opioid crisis is an ecosystem, and mitigating the problem will require a holistic approach.

Apr 15, 2019
Commentary

(Grey's) Anatomy of an Opioid Crisis

More than 130 Americans die every day after overdosing on opioids. So when one of the most popular shows on TV made opioid misuse a major plotline, RAND experts paid attention to how it presented this public health crisis. The show mirrored reality pretty closely, for the narrow slice of the opioid crisis it addressed.

Apr 8, 2019
Commentary

Addressing Federal Conflicts Over Supervised Drug Consumption Sites

With drug overdose deaths mounting, some American cities are trying to create designated spaces where people who use heroin and other drugs can have their consumption supervised by medical professionals. The Department of Justice argues these sites would violate federal law, but federal decisionmakers have several options.

Mar 14, 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
Report

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

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?

Dec 5, 2018
Journal Article

Use of Medication Therapy to Treat Opioid Abuse Among Medicaid Recipients Increased After Approval of New Drug

The number of Medicaid recipients receiving medication to treat opioid abuse increased sharply in the years after approval of buprenorphine, but the increase was smaller in poorer counties and areas with larger populations of black and Hispanic residents.

Jun 27, 2018
News Release

News Release

Use of Medication Therapy to Treat Opioid Abuse Among Medicaid Recipients Increased After Approval of New Drug

The number of Medicaid recipients receiving medication to treat opioid abuse increased sharply in the years after approval of buprenorphine, but the increase was smaller in poorer counties and areas with larger populations of black and Hispanic residents.

Jun 25, 2018
Journal Article

Journal Article

Addressing the Opioid Epidemic in the United States: Lessons from the Department of Veterans Affairs

Reflecting a comprehensive VA effort to improve pain management, in 2007 fewer veterans received high doses of opioids and more veterans received non-opioid pain therapies, naloxone, and treatment for substance use disorders.

Apr 26, 2018
Journal Article

Effects of Motivational Interviewing Fidelity on Substance Use Treatment Engagement in Primary Care

Motivational interviewing is used extensively to improve health and substance use-related outcomes, but therapists may need more training in strategic use of the approach.

Apr 3, 2018
Journal Article

Use of Protective Behavioral Strategies Among Young Adult Veteran Marijuana Users

Taking periodic breaks from marijuana use or avoiding using marijuana before work or school may be important protective strategies for young veterans who choose to use marijuana to cope with symptoms of PTSD.

Mar 20, 2018
Commentary

Strategies to Help Young Adults Limit Negative Consequences of Marijuana Use

Young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 have been shown to be the most prevalent and problematic users of marijuana. There are proven strategies that they can use to help protect themselves from experiencing harmful effects.

Feb 19, 2018
Journal Article

Link Between Medical Marijuana and Fewer Opioid Deaths Is More Complex Than Previously Reported

The association between medical marijuana and lower levels of opioid overdose deaths—identified previously in several studies—is more complex than previously described. It appears to be changing as both medical marijuana laws and the opioid crisis evolve.

Feb 8, 2018
Journal Article

The Protective Behavioral Strategies for Marijuana Scale: Further Examination Using Item Response Theory

The Protective Behavioral Strategies for Marijuana scale identifies strategies that may mitigate the harms related to marijuana use by young people.

Aug 25, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

Desistance Mandates Compared with Treatment Mandates in Criminal Justice Populations

Empowering those under criminal justice supervision to cease drug use on their own - rather than forcing them into formal treatment against their will - is a policy approach that warrants further evaluation.

Jun 8, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

A Group-Based Motivational Interviewing Brief Intervention to Reduce Substance Use and Sexual Risk Behavior Among Homeless Young Adults

A brief group-based motivational interview intervention was effective in helping homeless young adults make positive changes in their alcohol and condom use.

Mar 16, 2017
Journal Article

Measuring Protective Behavioral Strategies for Marijuana Use Among Young Adults

The Protective Behavioral Strategies for Marijuana scale can assess behaviors in young adults that could help limit negative consequences of marijuana use, which may be useful for intervention and prevention programs.

Sep 6, 2016
Commentary

Should Some Californians Lose Their 'License to Drink'?

In California, many efforts to reduce repeat drunken driving focus on the driving. What if the state targeted the “drunk” aspect instead?

Jul 6, 2016
Journal Article

Journal Article

Implementation of the Tobacco-Free Campus Policy on College Campuses: Evidence from a Survey of College Students in Beijing

A survey of Beijing college students suggests that the Tobacco Free Campus Policy for Chinese college campuses is not fully enforced.

May 25, 2016

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