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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.

Blog

Conversations at RAND: A Sobering Look at the Opioid Epidemic

May 13, 2016

Opioid overdoses were the greatest cause of accidental death in America in 2014. A panel discussion at RAND addressed the epidemic, including societal attitudes toward pain and addiction, poor understanding of the mechanics of addiction itself, economic drivers, legal responses, and treatment approaches.
Project

Can the 24/7 Sobriety Program Reduce Problem Drinking and Improve Public Health?

Nov 15, 2012

The 24/7 Sobriety Program requires those arrested for or convicted of alcohol-related offenses to take twice-a-day breathalyzer tests or wear a continuous alcohol monitoring bracelet. Those who fail or skip their tests are immediately subject to swift, certain but modest sanctions—typically a day or two in jail.

Explore Substance Use

Journal Article

Journal Article

Noncigarette Tobacco Advertising May Be Hazardous to a Teen's Health

Cigarette smoking contributes to nearly 1 in 5 deaths in the United States and myriad health problems.

Jun 14, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

Overview of Drug Treatment for Drug-Abusing Criminal Offenders: Insights from California's Proposition 36 and Arizona's Proposition 200

California's Proposition 36 and Arizona's Proposition 200 allowed some drug-abusing criminal offenders to enter drug treatment instead of being incarcerated. This policy brief provides early results of the two programs.

Jun 13, 2017
Multimedia

States vs. the Federal Government: Marijuana Legalization in the United States

In this June 9th, 2017 congressional briefing, Beau Kilmer, codirector of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center, provides an overview of recent changes in marijuana policies as well as options for the federal government.

Jun 9, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

Desistance Mandates Compared with Treatment Mandates in Criminal Justice Populations

Empowering those under criminal justice supervision to cease drug use on their own - rather than forcing them into formal treatment against their will - is a policy approach that warrants further evaluation.

Jun 8, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

Using a "Positive Deviance" Framework to Discover Adaptive Risk Reduction Behaviors Among High-Risk HIV Negative Black Men Who Have Sex with Men

Some young black men who have sex with men, otherwise at high risk for HIV infection due to drug use and other behaviors, make strategic decisions that help keep them HIV negative.

Jun 6, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

Sources of Care for Alcohol and Other Drug Problems: The Role of the African American Church

Many Los Angeles-area African American churches provide recovery supports and services for alcohol and other drug (AOD) use and actively connect individuals to formal AOD treatment.

Jun 6, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

Relationship Between Provider Stigma and Predictors of Staff Turnover Among Addiction Treatment Providers

Addiction treatment providers are less likely to be satisfied with their work if they hold negative views towards patients with substance abuse disorders.

Jun 6, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

Medical Marijuana and Marijuana Legalization

State actions to relax marijuana policies vary substantially, making it difficult to compare policies and draw conclusions about user and market reactions.

May 31, 2017
Report

Report

Mid-Term Assessment of the EU Drugs Strategy 2013–2020 and Final Evaluation of the Action Plan on Drugs 2013–2016: Final report

The report sets out the findings of an evaluation that assesses the degree of implementation of the EU Drugs Strategy 2013-2020 and the Action Plan 2013-2016 in all 28 EU Member States in terms of outputs and, where possible, impacts.

May 24, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

Early Impacts of Marijuana Legalization: An Evaluation of Prices in Colorado and Washington

Analysis of marijuana price data in Colorado and Washington suggests that short-term evaluations of legalization's effects on marijuana consumption are not necessarily indicative of long-term effects.

May 23, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

Alcohol Use and Service Utilization Among Veterans in Treatment for Schizophrenia

Veterans with schizophrenia who misuse alcohol are more likely to miss medications and more likely to use illicit drugs.

May 16, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

Advancing Knowledge on Cannabis Policy Using Evidence from North America

The production and dissemination of sound evidence is a vital part of policy reform regarding the legalization of marijuana.

May 9, 2017
Commentary

Mixed Messages: Is Cocaine Consumption in the U.S. Going Up or Down?

Data lags and the elimination of the ADAM program complicate estimates of U.S. cocaine consumption. New users who haven't yet developed cocaine dependence are also a factor. It may be prudent to start planning for an increase in heavy use even before all of the evidence is in.

Apr 28, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

Treatment Motivation Among Caregivers and Adolescents with Substance Use Disorders

Treatment-seeking for substance use disorders among adolescents is more effective at promoting engagement with health care if the motivation comes from the adolescent him/herself rather than from a caregiver.

Apr 13, 2017
Journal Article

Recreational Cannabis: Minimizing the Health Risks from Legalization

Legalizing recreational use of marijuana comes with a host of policy decisions, including how to regulate the supply, pricing, and access to the drug, and how to approach public health messaging on substance abuse prevention.

Mar 28, 2017
Journal Article

Association of State Recreational Marijuana Laws with Adolescent Marijuana Use

After recreational marijuana laws were passed, perceived harm associated with marijuana use decreased among students in 8th and 10th grades in Washington state and use increased; neither perception nor use changed in Colorado after legalization.

Mar 16, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

Frequency of E-cigarette Use, Health Status, and Risk and Protective Health Behaviors in Adolescents

Adolescents who use electronic cigarettes may engage in fewer risky behaviors than their tobacco smoking peers, but their physical health and engagement in protective health behaviors is not necessarily any better.

Mar 16, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

A Group-Based Motivational Interviewing Brief Intervention to Reduce Substance Use and Sexual Risk Behavior Among Homeless Young Adults

A brief group-based motivational interview intervention was effective in helping homeless young adults make positive changes in their alcohol and condom use.

Mar 16, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

Individual and Partner-Level Factors Associated with Condom Non-Use Among African American STI Clinic Attendees in the Deep South: An Event-Level Analysis

The US HIV/AIDS epidemic is concentrated in the Deep South, yet factors contributing to HIV transmission are not fully understood. We examined relationships between substance use, sexual partnership characteristics, and condom non-use in an African American sample of STI clinic attendees in Jackson, Mississippi.

Mar 15, 2017
Testimony

Regulating Medical Marijuana Markets: Insights from State Experiments

In setting rules and regulations for medical marijuana programs, legislators should consider the structures that supply medical marijuana, the effects of commercialization, and the impact of laws on youth.

Jan 25, 2017

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RAND Topic:
Substance Use

Topic Synonyms:
Drug Use