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Substance Use Harm Reduction

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

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
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
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 6, 2018
News Release

News Release

Viewing Tobacco 'Power Wall' Linked to Adolescents' Willingness to Try Vaping Products

Adolescents who view advertising for tobacco products on the tobacco “power wall” in convenience stores report being more willing to try vaping products in the future compared to peers who visited a store where the tobacco power wall was hidden.

Aug 6, 2018
Journal Article

Journal Article

Healthcare Provider Counseling to Quit Smoking and Patient Desire to Quit: The Role of Negative Smoking Outcome Expectancies

The time devoted to counseling patients about smoking should include assistance to quit, such as recommending a product, prescription or program, and incorporate techniques to elicit patients' expectations of smoking.

Jul 3, 2018
Journal Article

Tobacco Power Wall Exposure Increases Adolescents' Willingness to Try E-Cigarettes

Exposure to the tobacco “power wall” in convenience stores and other retail settings may increase adolescents' willingness to try e-cigarettes, much like other tobacco products.

Jun 28, 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
Dissertation

Dissertation

Three Essays on Value in Health Care: Workplace Wellness Program Return on Investment, Effectiveness of Monetary Penalties for Tobacco Cessation Non-Participation, and Physician Perceptions of Their Use of Time and Appropriateness of Care Provided

This dissertation, in a three paper format, examines three policy levers for improving health care value.

Jun 12, 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

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