Quarterly insights from the RAND Drug Policy Research Center

How the Opioid Crisis Is Driving the Rise in Hepatitis C

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

Photo by Hero Images/Getty Images

Substance Use Differences Among Sexual Minorities

Individuals who identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual experience elevated rates of substance use and substance use disorders relative to heterosexuals. However, sexual minorities are a diverse group, with age- and gender-specific differences in substance use behaviors. Understanding these differences can help inform screening and treatment for those with elevated and underserved need.

Photo by ER Productions Limited/Getty Images

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.

People passing a State Legal Marijuana shop sign on 2nd avenue late in the day in downtown Seattle, WA, July 14, 2016

Photo by 400tmax/Getty Images

Adolescent Marijuana Use Fell After Legalization in Washington

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.