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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

Group Motivational Interviewing for Homeless Young Adults: Associations of Change Talk With Substance Use and Sexual Risk Behavior

Homeless young adults who engaged in greater talk of changing risky substance use and sexual behavior during group interviews were less likely to be heavy drinkers.

Aug 4, 2017
Multimedia

What a Scientist Suggests You Tell Your Kids About Legal Marijuana

In this PBS News Hour segment, RAND Behavioral scientist Elizabeth D’Amico, who has researched drug and alcohol use among teens for more than 20 years, discusses what kids need to know about the use of legal marijuana.

Jul 21, 2017
Commentary

Anti-Drug Education: Time for a New Bumper Sticker

Effective drug prevention in America could start by helping school districts adopt evidence-based programs that work. Unlike DARE, which failed, there are programs that teach children to make wise and responsible decisions about drugs, and won't break the bank.

Jul 20, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

Predicting Evidence-Based Treatment Sustainment: Results from a Longitudinal Study of the Adolescent-Community Reinforcement Approach

Providers' ability to sustain A-CRA programming beyond initial implementation support depended on factors such as the level of implementation success, staff perceptions toward the intervention, funding stability, and community support.

Jul 18, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

Peer Victimization, Depressive Symptoms, and Substance Use: A Longitudinal Analysis

Youth who are victimized more frequently by peers in 5th grade are more likely to use alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco in the tenth grade.

Jul 14, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

Police Legitimacy and Disrupting Overt Drug Markets

The study investigates mechanisms thought to support immediate and sustained change after a DMI by analyzing qualitative data collected in community focus groups conducted at three-, six-, and 15-months following a DMI across three different sites.

Jun 30, 2017
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

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

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

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

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

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RAND Topic:
Substance Use

Topic Synonyms:
Drug Use