The U.S. drug policy landscape : : insights and opportunities for improving the view / / Beau Kilmer ... [et al.].

• Author: Rand Corporation.
• TeilnehmendeR: Kilmer, Beau.; Rand Corporation.; RAND Drug Policy Research Center.
• Year of Publication: 2012
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Series: Occasional paper ; OP-393-MCF
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (67 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

Discussions about reducing the harms associated with drug use and antidrug policies are often politicized, infused with questionable data, and unproductive. This paper provides a nonpartisan primer on drug use and drug policy in the United States. It aims to bring those new to drug policy up to speed and provide ideas to researchers and potential research funders about how they could make strong contributions to the field.

Table of Contents

Cover; Title Page; Copyright; Preface; Contents; Figures; Summary; Abbreviations; CHAPTER ONE: Introduction; CHAPTER TWO: The Drug Policy Landscape in the United States; Drug Use; Designer Drugs; Drug Problems; The Economic Burden of Drug Use; Observation 1: Prescription Drugs Account for an Increasing Share of the Nation's Drug Problem; Observation 2: Cocaine Accounts for a Decreasing Share of the Nation's Drug Problem; Observation 3: U.S. Demand for Drugs is Fueling Violence and Corruption in Mexico and Central America; Drug Policy in the United States; Government Spending on Drug Policy

Domestic Law EnforcementInterdiction; International Efforts; Prevention; Treatment; Recent Change 1: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA); Recent Change 2: Federal Response to Medical Marijuana; CHAPTER THREE: Efficacy of U.S. Drug Policies and Programs; Supply Reduction; Management of Market-Related Harms; Treatment; Other Interventions with Dependent Users; Prevention; Topics Meriting Additional Attention; CHAPTER FOUR: The Drug Policy Research Funding Landscape; Government Agencies; National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)U.S. Veterans Health Administration (VHA); White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP); U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Justice Programs (OJP); Other Government Agencies; Foundations; The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF); Open Society Foundations; Other Foundations; Corporations and Individuals; Summary of the Funding Landscape; CHAPTER FIVE: Opportunities to Influence the Drug Policy Field; Opportunity 1: Sponsor Young Scholars and Strengthen the Infrastructure of the Field

Opportunity 2: Accelerate the Diffusion of Good Ideas and Reliable Information to DecisionmakersOpportunity 3: Replicate and Evaluate Cutting-Edge Programs in an Expedited Fashion; Opportunity 4: Support Nonpartisan Research on Marijuana Policy; Opportunity 5: Investigate Ways to Reduce Drug-Related Violence in Mexico and Central America; Opportunity 6: Improve Understanding of the Markets for Diverted Pharmaceuticals; Opportunity 7: Help Build and Sustain Comprehensive Community Prevention Efforts

Opportunity 8: Develop More Sensible Sentencing Policies That Reduce the Excessive Levels of Incarceration for Drug Offenses and Address the Extreme Racial DisparitiesCHAPTER SIX: Concluding Thoughts; Bibliography