Substance Use Disorders

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Illegal Opioids Are Hurting Too Many of Us. We Need a New Approach

To save and improve lives, policymakers will need to take a holistic approach to the opioid crisis. People who use opioids and their families should be at the heart of this new response.

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RAND Experts on Veteran Mental Health Respond to the White House Mental Health Research Priorities

The White House identified eight research priorities to better manage America's current mental health crisis. RAND researchers highlight why each area is critical for veteran mental health and how RAND is contributing to address them.

Rajeev Ramchand @RRamchand, Carrie M. Farmer @carriefarmer, et al.

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The Racial Wealth Gap, the Effects of Long COVID, Teacher Diversity: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on understanding the racial wealth gap, why long COVID may threaten the U.S. economy, what prevents people of color from becoming and staying teachers, and more.

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Abortion After the Dobbs Decision: Q&A with RAND Researchers

The overturning of Roe v. Wade is likely to disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, including U.S. service women and pregnant women with substance use disorders. And abortion misinformation will likely increase. RAND researchers discuss these issues and potential policy responses.

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Putin's Latest Threats, U.S. Policy in the Middle East, Disaster Recovery: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on Russia's troop mobilization and the ongoing war in Ukraine, U.S. policy in the Middle East, building a more diverse teacher workforce, and more.

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Our New CEO, Algorithmic Bias, Equity in the Workplace: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on what RAND’s new president and CEO envisions for the future, addressing bias in health care algorithms, creating equitable change in the workplace, and more.

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How Policies That Punish Pregnant Women Backfire

There is overwhelming evidence and consensus from the medical and public health communities that supportive approaches are what help pregnant women with substance use disorders. Unfortunately, the overturning of Roe v. Wade has opened the door for more policies that police and punish women rather than these solutions that can save lives.

Rachel Landis, Laura J. Faherty @LauraFahertyMD, et al.

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A New and More Dangerous Drug Market Requires a New Approach

Synthetic opioids are likely to increasingly reach illegal drug markets. Failure to recognize and respond to how rapidly drug markets have changed with the arrival of illegally manufactured synthetic opioids will continue to put many at risk of exposure to fentanyl, endangering the lives of hundreds of thousands more Americans for years to come.

Bryce Pardo, David Luckey

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Treating Supervised Drug Consumption Sites like Cannabis

Some communities hard hit by the opioid crisis are interested in opening supervised consumption sites—places where people who use drugs can do so under supervision of trained staff. What could be done to make it easier to pilot and evaluate these sites in the United States?

Beau Kilmer @BeauKilmer, Bryce Pardo

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Sexual Assault in the Military, School Security, Mental Health Care: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the risk of sexual assault to sexual minorities in the U.S. military, making medication treatment more accessible to people struggling with opioid addiction, countering Russian propaganda, and more.

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There's Help for Veterans with Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders

Many post-9/11 veterans who have PTSD or depression also struggle with substance use. There are clinically proven treatments to help break the cycle of the co-occurring disorders, but the VA and other facilities need guidance on how to expand and enhance treatment opportunities for these veterans.

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PTSD and Substance Use Disorders Are a Vicious Cycle for Veterans

It is not uncommon to see a co-occurrence of PTSD and heavy use of substances, which can rise to the level of a substance use disorder. It may be necessary to challenge how the needs of veterans are addressed to remove barriers to care that make treating these co-occurring disorders simultaneously so difficult.

Michael Richardson, Roger Brooks, et al.

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Infectious Diseases, Zimbabwe, Students with Disabilities: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the U.S. response to infectious diseases, Zimbabwe after Mugabe, the support for students with disabilities, and more.

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Policies That Punish Pregnant Women for Substance Use Don't Help Mother or Baby

About half of all U.S. states now have policies that criminalize substance use during pregnancy, consider it grounds for civil commitment, or consider it child abuse or neglect. But research suggests that punitive policies aren't beneficial for infants or their mothers.

Laura J. Faherty @LauraFahertyMD

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Fentanyl: The Most Dangerous Illegal Drug in America

America's fentanyl crisis is unlike previous drug epidemics and is likely to get worse. Deaths involving fentanyl and other synthetic opioids have surged from around 3,000 in 2013 to more than 30,000 in 2018. Solving the problem requires innovative approaches and unprecedented resources.