August 2021 A new study from the Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation finds that recreational marijuana legalization may increase the risk of alcohol and marijuana co-use among adolescents. The study examined the association between recreational marijuana legalization in California in November 2016 and alcohol and marijuana co-use among underage […]
Media Releases
Adolescents’ Tobacco and Nicotine Use: Associations Among Racial and Ethnic Groups
New Research from the Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation investigated the effects of California’s 2016 law that raised the minimum tobacco sales age to from 18 to 21 (T21) and found evidence that the new law has had positive public health effects on 7th, 9th, and 11th grade students […]
At-the-Moment Stress for Parents during COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Restrictions
New research from the Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, The Ohio State University, and San Jose State University finds that during COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, parental stress was higher during the workday compared to after the workday and lower during weekends than during weekdays. Previous research compares parental stress before […]
Co-Use of Alcohol and Marijuana and Beliefs among Teens in Oregon
New research from the Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation examines whether recreational marijuana legalization in Oregon and marijuana and alcohol retail outlet density levels are associated with co-use and beliefs supportive of use of each among teens. Using data from 11th graders who participated in the Student Wellness Survey […]
A Community-Level Intervention Reduces Alcohol-Related Motor Vehicle Crashes
New research from the Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation shows that a community-level alcohol intervention in California resulted in a 17% reduction in alcohol-involved crashes among drivers aged 15–30. The research study assessed an intervention aimed at reducing excessive drinking and harm among teens and young adults, including […]
Changes in Drinking Contexts: Adolescents’ Nightly Alcohol Use
New research from the Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation and the Illinois State University examines changes in adolescent drinking over the course of the evening and finds that: Drinking earlier in the evening is positively associated with continued drinking over the night course. Adolescents’ drinking contexts change through the […]
Adverse Childhood Experiences are Associated with At-risk Drinking, Cannabis, and Illicit Drug Use among Women Urban Emergency Department Patients
New research from the Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation suggests that adverse childhood experiences, often referred to as child maltreatment, are associated with increased odds of substance use among women urban Emergency Department (ED) patients. To study the question, the research scientists used a cross-sectional survey with 1,037 married […]
Reducing Underage Drinking in California Indian Reservations: Community Awareness
Researchers from the Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, the Southern California Tribal Health Clinic, and the Scripps Research Institute joined to evaluate underage drinking prevention efforts for American Indian youths on rural California reservations. The evaluation found that high proportions of the Tribal communities took action to reduce underage […]
Proximity to the Southern Border and DUI Arrests in California
A new study from the Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation of DUI arrests in California shows that arrests increase as distance to the southern border decrease, and that this may be due to greater availability of alcohol in the border area. The article examines trends and population-level correlates […]
Recreational Cannabis Retail Sales, Alcohol-Intoxicated Customers, & Online Responsible Vendor Training
The growing availability of legal recreational cannabis has resulted in a greater prevalence of impaired driving which is especially risky when marijuana is consumed with alcohol. Some jurisdictions that have legalized the sale of recreational cannabis also have laws that prohibit sales of cannabis to alcohol-intoxicated customers. A new study tests whether training in responsible […]
