RAND-USC Schaeffer Opioid Policy Tools and Information Center

The opioid epidemic has killed more than 770,000 Americans since 2000 and remains a leading cause of death in the U.S. with nearly 80,000 deaths in 2023.  As it evolved into a complex polysubstance crisis, there remains an urgent need for nimble and adaptable policy responses to meet unprecedented demands on first responders, healthcare providers, public health, public safety, law enforcement and criminal justice systems.

The RAND-USC Schaeffer Opioid Policy Tools and Information Center (OPTIC) is playing a prominent role in this effort. Our mission is to be a national resource for policy data and analytic methods useful for understanding the impact of policy on today’s crisis.  The center fosters innovative research in opioid policy science and disseminates methods, tools and information to the research community, policymakers and other stakeholders to quickly inform responses.

OPTIC is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (P50DA046351) and is a collaborative effort with the RAND Corporation. Through this work at the Schaeffer Center, we aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of the expected and unanticipated consequences of the opioid crisis on households and communities. This deeper understanding of the downstream impacts of the opioid crisis can help target resources to the communities most affected.

The OPTIC Data & Methods Core at the Schaeffer Center leads efforts in approving data quality and methodological challenges often faced by policy analysts seeking to contribute to this literature.  By providing critical infrastructure for OPTIC projects and the broader scientific community, we advance high-quality, innovative research and rigorous evaluation of opioid-related policies.