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Substance Use Harm Reduction

Multimedia

RAND Remote: High Stakes, Fostering Innovation to Stem the Tide of America's Drug Problems

In this RAND Remote presentation, Beau Kilmer discusses how RAND is identifying and evaluating innovative approaches to tackle some of America's most pressing drug problems and help strengthen and safeguard communities.

Jan 28, 2021
Journal Article

Illicit Synthetic Opioid Consumption in Asia and the Pacific: Assessing the Risks of a Potential Outbreak

While many illegally manufactured potent synthetic opioids (IMPSO) are produced in Asia, there is little evidence they have entered markets there. We consider the susceptibility to IMPSO's encroachment in markets in the Asia-Pacific region.

Jan 26, 2021
Tool

Reducing Tobacco Use Among Young People Experiencing Homelessness: Recommendations for Service Providers

This manual contains an easy-to-use guide for service providers to deliver brief and inexpensive assistance to youth experiencing homelessness who want to stop using tobacco products.

Jan 25, 2021
Journal Article

The Dawn of a New Synthetic Opioid Era: The Need for Innovative Interventions

This paper stems from recent research into understanding the past, present and possible futures of synthetic opioids in North America and beyond.

Sep 17, 2020
Commentary

Revoking the 'License to Drink': Emerging Evidence on Mandatory Sobriety

After counties in South Dakota implemented a 24/7 sobriety program, repeat arrests for impaired driving decreased in the counties by an average of 12%. North Dakota implemented a similar program and also saw decreases in impaired driving. Can the same results be achieved outside of the Dakotas?

Jun 29, 2020
Commentary

Do We Know How to Treat Alcohol Misuse in Women?

Despite the many clinical trials that have demonstrated the effectiveness and safety of treatments for alcohol use disorder, we still know little about whether men and women respond differently to treatment. Without knowing whether recommended treatments are effective for women, women are vulnerable to the consequences of alcohol misuse.

Apr 29, 2020
Commentary

Beyond Bans: How Cannabis Policy Reform Can Reduce Vaping-Related Illnesses

Policymakers can wield a multitude of tools to address vaping-related illness. Cannabis policy reform is one option. But policymakers may face challenges in balancing comprehensive regulatory design that promotes product safety with its potential to bolster the illegal and unregulated market.

Mar 27, 2020
Testimony

Addressing the U.S. Opioid Crisis: Using an Integrated Systems-Based Approach: Addendum

Document submitted January 21, 2020, as an addendum to testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Opioids on December 17, 2019.

Jan 20, 2020
Journal Article

Patterns of Alternative Tobacco Product Use Among Youth Experiencing Homelessness

Findings suggest efforts to reduce the use of tobacco products among youth experiencing homelessness should focus on the combined use of these products and screen for substance use disorder and housing stability to include those that need help the most.

Jan 14, 2020
Commentary

Where Science Says to Spend Any U.S. Opioid Settlement Money

A global settlement with pharmaceutical companies has started to appear more and more likely. Even with billions of dollars, the settlement resources won't be unlimited. To avoid mistakes made in the tobacco master settlement agreement, any opioid funds must be carefully allocated.

Dec 19, 2019
Multimedia

Addressing the U.S. Opioid Crisis: Using an Integrated Systems-Based Approach

An overview of testimony by Bradley D. Stein presented before the Senate Judiciary Committee on December 17, 2019.

Dec 17, 2019
Testimony

Approaching the U.S. Opioid Crisis as an Ecosystem

Policymakers should think of the opioid crisis as an ecosystem and consider how its many parts interact—especially in unexpected ways. A broader view of the crisis will help those confronting it better prepare for the challenges ahead.

Dec 17, 2019
Report

Gender Differences in Response to Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment: A Systematic Review

If men and women respond differently to treatments for alcohol use disorder, this would be important to consider in treatment selection. The authors of this systematic review sought to synthesize evidence for gender differences in treatment effects.

Nov 6, 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
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
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
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
Journal Article

Improving the Child Welfare System to Respond to the Needs of Substance-Exposed Infants

To realize the gains envisioned by recent legislation, the Administration and Congress should prioritize additional funding to modernize our child welfare system to meet the unique needs of families affected by substance misuse.

Jul 17, 2019
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

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