About the Drug Policy Research Center

Since 1989, the RAND Drug Policy Research Center has conducted research to help community leaders and public officials develop more effective ways of dealing with drug problems. In doing so, the DPRC brings an objective, pragmatic perspective to this often emotional and fractious policy arena. The Center's goal is to provide a firm, empirical foundation on which sound policies can be built.

To this end, the DPRC's research embodies several key qualities:

• A focus on policy. The emphasis is on real-world problems and practical solutions.
• Objectivity. The analyses are rigorous and data-driven.
• A broad perspective. The Center addresses controversial issues with no ideological constraints.
• An interdisciplinary approach. The staff includes members from a broad array of disciplines able to handle the multifaceted problems characterizing drug policy.
• Policy impact. The DPRC's work has helped to shape drug policymaking at all levels of government.

The DPRC is a joint endeavor of RAND Health Care and RAND Social and Economic Wellbeing and is codirected by Beau Kilmer and Rosanna Smart. The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis.