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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.

Research Brief

Substance Use Among U.S. Active-Duty Service Members

Jun 21, 2018

The 2015 Health Related Behaviors Survey asked active-duty service members about their use of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit and prescription drugs. Cigarette smoking in the military has decreased over the past decade, but rates of binge drinking are still high enough to cause concern.
Journal Article

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

Jun 28, 2018

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.

Explore Substance Use

Journal Article

Journal Article

Differences in Substance Use Disparities Across Age Groups in a National Cross-Sectional Survey of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adults

Using national data, we test for age differences in substance use disparities among LGB adults. Contrary to hypothesized decreased minority stress in recent generations, we find that disparities were not systematically smaller in younger age groups.

Feb 12, 2019
News Release

Reformulation of OxyContin to Discourage Abuse Linked to Higher Rates of Hepatitis C Infections

Reformulation of the pain medicine OxyContin in 2010 to make it more difficult to abuse directly led to a large rise in hepatitis C infections as drug abusers switched from the prescription medication to injectable heroin.

Feb 4, 2019
Journal Article

Journal Article

Association Among County-Level Economic Factors, Clinician Supply, Metropolitan or Rural Location, and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

This analysis found a significant association among higher long-term unemployment, higher mental health clinician shortage areas, and higher county-level rates of neonatal abstinence syndrome.

Feb 1, 2019
News Release

Study Links Long-Term Unemployment to Increase in Babies Born with Opioid Withdrawal

Babies born after being exposed to opioids before birth are more likely to be delivered in regions of the U.S. with high rates of long-term unemployment and lower levels of mental health services.

Jan 30, 2019
Journal Article

Journal Article

Marital Status as a Partial Mediator of the Associations Between Young Adult Substance Use and Subsequent Substance Use Disorder: Application of Causal Inference Methods

Remaining unmarried may be an important mechanism that perpetuates substance use among heavy alcohol users and moderate and heavy marijuana users.

Jan 29, 2019
Journal Article

Journal Article

Effect of Age on Opioid Prescribing, Overdose, and Mortality in Massachusetts, 2011 to 2015

Older age was the strongest predictor of undergoing potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP) among individuals who were prescribed opioids. PIP was also associated with risk of adverse outcomes in both older and younger adults.

Jan 29, 2019
Periodical

Periodical

RAND Review: January-February 2019

This issue spotlights (1) research on how faith-based organizations promote health and well-being in underserved communities and (2) the Pardee RAND Graduate School's new approach to policy and training the next generation of policy experts.

Jan 7, 2019
Journal Article

Disparities in Substance Use Behaviors and Disorders Among Adult Sexual Minorities by Age, Gender, and Sexual Identity

Disparities in substance use and disorders were most pronounced in young adulthood for gay/lesbian individuals and mid-adulthood for bisexual men; bisexual women uniquely experienced disparities across all ages. Minority stress experiences may vary with respect to gender, age/cohort, and sexual identity, resulting in differential risk for substance use.

Dec 27, 2018
News Release

Adolescent Marijuana Use Fell After Legalization in Washington; Study Highlights Need to Use Better Data to Follow Youth Use Trends

Marijuana use among teenagers in Washington state appears to have declined in the years immediately following the legalization of recreational marijuana in 2012, contradicting earlier estimates about the trend.

Dec 19, 2018
Commentary

Vaping May Have Its Place, Just Not With Teens

While e-cigarettes may be a “safer” option for adult smokers, they are not safe for young people. Teens who vape are significantly more likely to start smoking traditional cigarettes in the future.

Dec 17, 2018
Report

Report

Early reflections on the approach to preventing and responding to violent and antisocial behavior at the 2018 World Cup in Russia

This case study examines the available evidence on violent and antisocial behaviour during the 2018 World Cup; policing tactics and intelligence-sharing; sale and consumption of alcohol; and the event organisation.

Dec 11, 2018
Report

Report

Violent and antisocial behaviour at football events and strategies to prevent and respond to these behaviours: Final synthesis report

This study gathers and critically assesses the available evidence into the prevalence, nature and causes of violence and disorder at other major sporting events, and to draw on promising practices to prevent and respond to these harms.

Dec 11, 2018
Report

Report

Alcohol and international football tournaments

This case study reviews the available evidence on the connection between alcohol and international football.

Dec 11, 2018
Report

Report

What factors contributed to the different levels of disorder witnessed in Marseille and Lille during the Euros 2016 UEFA European Championship?

This case study explores the factors that may have contributed to the different outcomes in crowd behaviour and public safety witnessed in Marseille and Lille during the 2016 UEFA European Championship.

Dec 11, 2018
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
Commentary

Navigating Cannabis Legalization 2.0

As the next round of states debate marijuana legalization, they would do well to contemplate allowing state governments to control the wholesale prices and linking the price of cannabis to its potency.

Dec 4, 2018
Journal Article

Supply-Side Drug Policy in the Presence of Substitutes: Evidence from the Introduction of Abuse-Deterrent Opioids

The recent increase in heroin deaths is primarily fueled by the reformulation of OxyContin.

Oct 31, 2018
Report

Report

Effects of Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for Opioid Use Disorder on Functional Outcomes: A Systematic Review

This systematic review synthesizes evidence on the effects of medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder on functional outcomes, including cognitive, physical, occupational, social/behavioral, and neurological function.

Oct 30, 2018
Journal Article

Journal Article

Behavioral Health of Gulf Coast Residents 6 Years After the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: The Role of Trauma History

The study emphasizes the importance of measuring and considering not only the index event in disaster-related mental health work, but also other potentially traumatic exposures.

Oct 24, 2018

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RAND Topic:
Substance Use

Topic Synonyms:
Drug Use