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Substance Use

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Substance use touches on many facets of public policy, including health and health care, economic issues, criminal justice, and risk behaviors—particularly among youth. Accordingly, RAND conducts drug policy research that addresses a range of concerns, from treatment effectiveness, harm reduction, drug markets and supply, and predictors and consequences to evaluations of programs to prevent youth from using and abusing drugs, alcohol, and tobacco.

News Release

Density of Marijuana Outlets Associated with More and Higher Use Among Young Adults

Jan 13, 2021

As marijuana outlets open after the drug is legalized, the density of those recreational retailers is associated with more use and a greater intensity of use among young adults.
Multimedia

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

Jan 28, 2021

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.

Explore Substance Use

Report

Afghanistan in the Era of Fentanyl

Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are displacing heroin in some major drug markets. What might happen to Afghanistan—the world's largest producer of illegal opium poppy—if demand for its opiates dropped off sharply and permanently?

Jul 26, 2021
Journal Article

Informing the Development of a Standardized Clinical Definition of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: Protocol for a Modified-Delphi Expert Panel

The goal of this paper is to describe a protocol for a systematic expert panel process to inform the development of a clinical definition of neonatal abstinence syndrome.

Jul 23, 2021
Journal Article

Mental Health Conditions and Substance Use Disorders Among Youth Subsequently Diagnosed With Opioid Use Disorder or Opioid Poisoning

This study examined receipt of services for mental health conditions and non-opioid substance use disorders among privately insured adolescents and young adults (ie, youth) with subsequent clinically diagnosed opioid use disorder or opioid poisoning.

Jul 21, 2021
Journal Article

Can Novel 'Swift-Certain-Fair' Programs Work Outside of Pioneering Jurisdictions? An Analysis of 24/7 Sobriety in Montana, USA

South Dakota USA's 24/7 Sobriety Program appears to work in Montana as well. Certain delivery of immediate but modest sanctions for repeat driving under the influence (DUI) arrestees who violate alcohol abstinence orders appears to be able to reduce future DUI arrests.

Jul 20, 2021
Journal Article

Cannabis Legalization and Social Equity: Some Opportunities, Puzzles, and Trade-Offs

Legalization for nonmedical purposes may create new sources of disproportionate harm even as it alleviates some inequities associated with cannabis prohibition.

Jul 16, 2021
Tool

How to Integrate Pharmacotherapy for Substance Use Disorders at Your Mental Health Clinic: A Step-By-Step Guide for Screening and Treating Adults with Co-Occurring Mental Illness and Alcohol and/or Opioid Use Disorders with Pharmacotherapy in Mental Health Clinics

RAND researchers provide a toolkit to support the delivery of effective, evidence-based pharmacotherapy for clients with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders and simplify care implementation in mental health clinics.

Jul 8, 2021
Tool

Medication Management of Co-Occurring Opioid Use Disorder in Mental Health Settings: A Guide for Practitioners

Researchers and clinicians provide a guide for identifying clients with co-occurring opioid use and mental health disorders in mental health settings and treating these clients with an appropriate opioid use disorder medication.

Jul 8, 2021
Periodical

RAND Review: July-August 2021

One feature highlights how researchers apply an equity lens to projects on environmental racism, incarcerated parents, and the lives of Black service members; a second describes interventions to address disparities in infant mortality rates.

Jul 1, 2021
Multimedia

State-Level Opioid Policy Analyses: Moving Beyond the Classic Difference-in-Differences Model

This workshop provides an overview of key methodological challenges faced when evaluating the effectiveness of state-level policy using annual state-level data, as well as potential solutions and practice guidelines.

Jun 24, 2021
Journal Article

Organizational Capacity and Readiness to Provide Medication for Individuals with Co-Occurring Alcohol Use Disorders in Public Mental Health Settings

Organizational capacity and readiness constraints impede the delivery of medication treatment for alcohol use disorder in a large mental health system.

Jun 23, 2021
Journal Article

Concentration of Patient Care Among Buprenorphine-Prescribing Clinicians in the U.S.

Drawing on national retail pharmacy data, researchers identified and categorized clinicians who prescribed buprenorphine for OUD at least once between January 2017 and December 2018.

Jun 10, 2021
Blog

Sexual Assault in the Military, School Security, Mental Health Care: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the risk of sexual assault to sexual minorities in the U.S. military, making treatment more accessible to people struggling with opioid addiction, countering Russian propaganda, and more.

Jun 4, 2021
News Release

Most Prescriptions for Opioid Addiction Medication Buprenorphine Are Written by a Small Number of Providers

Half of all patient-months of buprenorphine treatment during 2016 and 2017 were prescribed by just 4.9% of the physicians and other providers who prescribed the drug during the period.

Jun 1, 2021
Journal Article

What Influences Evidence-Based Treatment Sustainment After Implementation Support Ends? A Mixed Method Study of the Adolescent-Community Reinforcement Approach

Our findings lend empirical support for implementation theories in that multiple factors appear to be associated with long-term delivery of an evidence-based treatment.

May 27, 2021
Journal Article

Common Themes in Early State Policy Responses to Substance Use Disorder Treatment During COVID-19

States have made significant policy changes to SUD treatment policies during COVID-19, particularly regarding telehealth and facilitation of remote care. Understanding these changes could help policymakers prioritize guidance during the pandemic and for future health crises.

May 27, 2021
Journal Article

Toward a Typology of Office-based Buprenorphine Treatment Laws: Themes from a Review of State Laws

Buprenorphine is a gold standard treatment for opioid use disorder. Some states have passed laws regulating office-based buprenorphine treatment, with requirements beyond those required in federal law. This study identified themes in state laws.

May 26, 2021
Tool

Getting To Outcomes® Operations Guide for Air National Guard Community Action Teams

This Getting To Outcomes guide will help with the planning, implementation, evaluation, continuous quality improvement, and sustainability of Air National Guard Community Action Plans. It includes guidance, resources, and examples of completed tools.

May 24, 2021
Journal Article

Attitudes About Medications for Alcohol Use Disorder Among Individuals with Serious Mental Illness: A Health Belief Model Analysis

We sought to examine, among individuals treated in publicly funded community mental health clinics, perceived need for and attitudes toward medications for alcohol use disorder.

May 20, 2021
Journal Article

Study to Identify an Approach to Measure the Illicit Market for Tobacco Products: Final Report

This study is intended to support efforts to better understand the scope and scale of the illicit tobacco market.

May 11, 2021
Periodical

RAND Review: May-June 2021

The cover story highlights the value of invention, analyzing the economic and social impacts of winners of the Lemelson-MIT Prize. A second feature focuses on human rights abuses against ethnic Uyghurs in China and what we know from satellite images.

May 6, 2021

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RAND Topic:
Substance Use

Topic Synonyms:
Drug Use

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