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.

  • The charger and the holder of the electric tobacco heating system IQOS of cigarette maker Philip Morris Switzerland are displayed after a news conference in Bern, Switzerland, November 19, 2019, photo by Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters

    News Release

    Some Young Americans Aware of New Heated Tobacco Products

    Feb 17, 2020

    About 12 percent of young adults surveyed were aware of new products that heat—but do not burn—tobacco to produce a nicotine-containing aerosol that is inhaled. They are different from vaping products. Individuals who use other tobacco products or marijuana are those most likely to use them.

  • Syringe and heroin on a black background, photo by Kittipong/Adobe Stock

    Essay

    Fentanyl: The Most Dangerous Illegal Drug in America

    Jan 13, 2020

    America's fentanyl crisis is unlike previous drug epidemics and is likely to get worse. Deaths involving fentanyl and other synthetic opioids have surged from around 3,000 in 2013 to more than 30,000 in 2018. Solving the problem requires innovative approaches and unprecedented resources.

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