Drug Policy and Trends

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RAND researchers provide objective analyses of problems and policies related to illegal drugs — including nonmedical use of prescription drugs, marijuana legalization or decriminalization, racial disparities in drug-related incarceration rates, community prevention efforts, and strategies for reducing drug-related violence in Mexico and Central America.

  • Report

    Synthetic Opioids: An Unprecedented Crisis

    Aug 29, 2019

    The rise of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids is unlike any drug crisis in U.S. history. Limiting policy responses to existing approaches will likely be insufficient and may condemn many people to early deaths.

  • Cocaine, cannabis leaf, and syringe, photos by Bits and Splits, underworld, and Leonid/Adobe Stock

    Report

    How Big Is the U.S. Market for Cannabis, Cocaine, Heroin, and Meth?

    Aug 20, 2019

    Americans spent about $150 billion on cannabis, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine in 2016—rivaling U.S. spending on alcohol. This number is driven in large part by the small share of people who use drugs on a daily or near-daily basis.

Explore Drug Policy and Trends

  • A worker tends to cannabis plants at a medical marijuana plantation near the northern Israeli city of Safed

    Commentary

    The 10 Ps of Marijuana Legalization

    Marijuana policy is a growing topic of discussion, and laws are starting to change. Ten choices confronting jurisdictions considering legalization cover many of the critical decisions that will determine whether removing prohibition is a good idea.

    Jun 22, 2015

  • News Release

    News Release

    Physician Waivers to Prescribe Buprenorphine Increase Potential Access to Effective Treatment Options to Address Opioid ...

    The increased number and geographic distribution of physicians obtaining waivers to prescribe buprenorphine has widened potential access to effective treatment for those with addiction to heroin or prescription painkillers.

    Jun 9, 2015

  • News Release

    News Release

    Association Found Between Sleep Patterns and Alcohol or Marijuana Use in Adolescents

    Adolescents who sleep less or stay up later are significantly more likely to have used alcohol and marijuana over the past month when compared to their peers who report better sleep patterns. The association was consistent even after controlling for other known risk factors, such as depression.

    May 18, 2015

  • Labels with prices are placed next to marijuana for sale at the grand opening of The Cannabis Corner, the first city-owned recreational marijuana store in the country, in North Bonneville, Washington March 7, 2015

    Commentary

    Unprecedented Changes in Marijuana Policy

    The marijuana policy landscape changed dramatically in 2014. Legal sales for nonmedical purposes began in Colorado and in Washington state. Voters in Washington, D.C., Alaska, and Oregon passed initiatives to liberalize their marijuana laws. Uruguay also started implementing its marijuana legalization law.

    Apr 30, 2015

  • A child breaking a cigarette in half

    Commentary

    What Works in Early Life to Prevent Tobacco and Alcohol Addiction?

    Tobacco and alcohol addiction are widespread public health risks across the European Union. Both merit tackling at a young age. Evidence-based, early interventions are available that can be applied in small-scale settings to prevent underage alcohol and tobacco abuse.

    Apr 23, 2015

  • Jeff the Diseased Lung, a tobacco company mascot created by HBO comedy show 'Last Week Tonight'

    Commentary

    Last Week Tonight's Jeff the Diseased Lung Is No Joke

    John Oliver's “Jeff the Diseased Lung,” a cross between a warning label on cigarette packs in Australia and the Marlboro Man, has gone viral while research shows cigarettes are responsible for even more premature deaths than previously thought.

    Feb 20, 2015

  • A vendor smokes a cigarette as he waits for customers at a market in Hefei, China, January 9, 2015

    Commentary

    Snuffing Out China's Deadly Habit

    To help address China's smoking problem, China's parliament is considering a ban on all tobacco ads except those at point-of-sale retail locations. How does this compare to the current state of play regarding Chinese tobacco ads? And could the new law shift the tobacco-control landscape?

    Feb 2, 2015

  • Congressional Briefing Podcast

    Multimedia

    Insights About Marijuana Legalization in the United States

    In this January 2015 Congressional Briefing, RAND researchers Beau Kilmer and Jonathan Caulkins present an overview of their new report, Considering Marijuana Legalization: Insights for Vermont and Other Jurisdictions.

    Jan 21, 2015

  • News Release

    News Release

    Options and Issues Regarding Marijuana Legalization in Vermont

    If Vermont chooses to remove its prohibition on producing and selling marijuana, lawmakers will have many choices to make about who will supply it, who can buy it, if and how it will be taxed, and how it will be regulated. There are pros and cons to all policy options as well as uncertainty about how different forms of legalization will affect public health and safety.

    Jan 16, 2015

  • A blurry convenience store aisle

    Commentary

    A New Year's Resolution: Target Practices That Undermine Weight Control

    Many will vow to lose weight in the coming year, but most will inevitably fail, not from lack of motivation or knowledge but from insuperable forces undermining their best intentions. America should resolve to address obesity where it begins: the point of purchase.

    Dec 29, 2014

  • A doctor with a patient preparing for a computerized tomography (CT) scan

    Commentary

    Knowing When to Say Yes to Medical Technology

    CT lung cancer screening turns out to be like many new medical technologies: It improves health but is quite expensive. Moreover, it needs implementation that targets those most likely to benefit and provides them the care they need efficiently.

    Nov 18, 2014

  • A pack of cigarettes with a warning label in Montreal, Canada, June 28, 2007

    Commentary

    Graphic Warning Labels on Cigarettes Are Scary, but Do They Work?

    “Graphic warning labels” pair gruesome images with warnings about the dangers of smoking, covering anywhere from 30 to 80 percent of cigarette pack “faces” (the front and back). Do they prevent people from starting to smoke or cause current smokers to quit?

    Sep 30, 2014

  • Shelves full of cigarettes at a CVS store in Manhattan, February 5, 2014

    Commentary

    CVS Health: Breathing a Little Easier and Holding Our Breath

    CVS has officially stopped selling cigarettes and other tobacco products, a move that will cost the pharmacy chain about $2 billion in annual profits. It's difficult to say if this will affect smoking. For now, the ban is most significant for what it represents symbolically.

    Sep 12, 2014

  • Marijuana plants growing

    Announcement

    RAND to Study Marijuana Legalization in Vermont

    Researchers from RAND will study the issues related to potentially legalizing the production, distribution, and possession of marijuana in Vermont. Beau Kilmer met with state Secretary of Administration Jeb Spaulding and other officials this week to discuss the study.

    Jul 23, 2014

  • Employees stock their shelves with 2-gram packages of marijuana at Cannabis City during the first day of legal retail marijuana sales in Seattle, Washington July 8, 2014

    Commentary

    Taking a Sober Look at Legalizing Marijuana

    California and a handful of other states will probably vote on legal pot in 2016. Whether it passes will depend on the quality of the proposal, how much money is involved in the campaigns, and how things play out in Colorado, Washington, and other places that have legalized production and sales.

    Jul 13, 2014

  • Gabor Kovacs of 'smoke no smoke' displays e-cigarettes that his shop sells at Camden in London

    Commentary

    FDA's New Tobacco Rules Go Far Enough—For Now

    At this point, asking the FDA to restrict marketing or to ban flavored products would be premature. The base of scientific evidence is growing, particularly with e-cigarettes, but it doesn't support additional regulatory action beyond what the FDA has already proposed.

    Jun 12, 2014

  • ashtray and smoke wisp

    Tool

    The PROMIS® Smoking Initiative

    The PROMIS Smoking Initiative develops item banks to gauge how cigarette smokers understand their habit and its impact on their lives.

    Jun 3, 2014

  • two young women watching something scary on TV and eating popcorn

    Commentary

    Dutch and UK Adolescents See More Alcohol Advertising on TV Than Adults

    Adolescents in the UK and the Netherlands (but not in Germany) see more alcohol adverts on television, per hour of television watched, than adults. These differences result from the different viewing times, channels watched, and the placement of adverts.

    May 23, 2014

  • People participate in the so-called "last demonstration with illegal marijuana" in front of the Congress building in Montevideo, Uruguay, December 10, 2013

    Commentary

    Are We Entering a New Era of Cannabis Regulation?

    Although international drug treaties prohibit the production, distribution, and possession of cannabis for non-medical and non-scientific purposes, several jurisdictions have implemented new laws and policies, including some that remove criminal penalties for possession of small doses of cannabis.

    May 22, 2014

  • Benjamin Lesczynski, 8, of New York, takes a sip of a "Big Gulp" while protesting the proposed "soda ban" suggested by New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, July 9, 2012

    Commentary

    Let's Regulate Food Like We Do Alcohol

    To help people avoid overeating, the kinds of policies effective in controlling alcohol consumption should be applied to food—standardizing portion sizes, limiting impulse marketing and reducing the convenience and salience of foods most closely associated with obesity and chronic diseases.

    May 19, 2014

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