Codirector, RAND Drug Policy Research Center; Senior Policy Researcher, RAND; Professor of Policy Analysis, RAND School of Public Policy
He/Him
Beau Kilmer is codirector of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center, a senior policy researcher at RAND, and a professor of policy analysis at the RAND School of Public Policy.
His research lies at the intersection of public health and public safety, with special emphasis on substance use, illegal markets, crime control, and public policy. Some of his current projects include assessing the consequences of cannabis legalization (with a special focus on social equity); measuring the effect of 24/7 Sobriety programs on impaired driving, domestic violence, employment, and mortality; analyzing changes in illegal fentanyl markets; and considering the implications of legalizing psychedelics.
Kilmer's publications have appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Science. His commentaries have been published by CNN, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, among others. Two editions of his coauthored book on cannabis legalization were published by Oxford University Press; his coauthored book on the future of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids was published by RAND.
Kilmer served as a member of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Committee on Public Health Consequences of Changes in the Cannabis Policy Landscape. From 2023-2025, he was the vice president of the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy. He received his Ph.D. in public policy from Harvard University, M.P.P. from the University of California, Berkeley, and B.A. in international relations from Michigan State University.
Ph.D. in public policy, Harvard University; M.P.P. in public policy, University of California, Berkeley; B.A. in international relations, Michigan State University
