How Much Illegally Manufactured Fentanyl Could the U.S. Be Consuming? 2022
This article provides guidance through two thought experiments that provide a hypothetical upper bound on U.S. consumption of fentanyl.
Below are the most recent reports and articles from the RAND Drug Policy Research Center. Please visit our RAND Topics pages for a complete research archive on these and other drug policy-related research topics.
RAND Topic Pages: Drug Markets and SupplyThis article provides guidance through two thought experiments that provide a hypothetical upper bound on U.S. consumption of fentanyl.
In 2020, there were 60,000 overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids in the US, where data lags and limited cross-agency coordination impedes understanding of transitioning illicit drug markets. Better data from Canada can offer some understanding.
This analysis used data from drug seizures and undercover purchases to address two questions: To what extent does supply of illegally manufactured fentanyl (IMF) vary over time and geography? What has happened to the purity-adjusted price of IMF?
This cross-sectional study examined how transaction sales limits on recreational cannabis translate to tetrahydrocannabinol doses among U.S. states allowing commercial cannabis sales as of January 1, 2020.
In this paper, we find that over a longer time horizon, OxyContin reformulation stimulated illicit drug markets to grow and evolve.
Here we explore the important case of using General Population Surveys to estimate frequent heroin use.
While many illegally manufactured potent synthetic opioids (IMPSO) are produced in Asia, there is little evidence they have entered markets there. We consider the susceptibility to IMPSO's encroachment in markets in the Asia-Pacific region.
This paper examines how the recent transition of the opioid crisis from prescription opioids to more prevalent misuse of illicit opioids, such as heroin and fentanyl, altered labor supply behavior and disability insurance claiming rates.
In the profitable buprenorphine market, pharmaceutical manufacturer Reckitt Benckiser exploited various Food and Drug Administration regulatory procedures to impede entry of generic competitors and maintain elevated prices.
This review reveals a growing literature on the effects of certain state opioid misuse prevention policies, but persistent gaps in evidence on other prevalent state policies remain.