Rosanna Smart

Rosanna Smart is a senior economist at the RAND Corporation, codirector of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center and the RAND Gun Policy in America initiative, and Professor of Policy Analysis at the RAND School of Public Policy. Her work bridges economics, public health, and policy analysis, focusing on substance use, drug policy, and firearm violence prevention.

• Ph.D. in Economics, University of California, Los Angeles

Her research interests lie in applied microeconomics with a focus on health behaviors, illicit markets, drug policy (especially cannabis and opioids), and the determinants of gun violence. She investigates how policy changes—such as cannabis legalization, naloxone access laws, and firearm regulations—affect public health outcomes. Her work emphasizes rigorous evaluation of state-level policies and the development of tools to assess policy effectiveness.

Smart’s recent publications reflect a strong trend toward policy surveillance, measurement innovation, and equity. She has developed tools like the Cannabis Policy Scale and ROMPER (RAND/USC OPTIC Method for Policy Expert Ratings) to standardize and improve policy evaluation. Her article trends show deep engagement with opioid harm reduction, naloxone distribution, firearm mortality, and disparities in policy effects across racial and demographic groups.

Her research has been published in top-tier journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of Health Economics, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

• Co-Director, RAND Drug Policy Research Center
• Co-Director, RAND Gun Policy in America Initiative
• Expert in drug policy, gun policy, health economics, and public safety

Smart actively contributes to public discourse through media engagement and policy commentary. She leads research on evaluating sectoral training programs, aerial surveillance in policing, and structural barriers to care for opioid use disorder. Her work supports evidence-based policymaking and aims to reduce substance use harms and gun violence through data-driven insights.