Dr Beau Kilmer

Beau Kilmer is a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation, where he codirects the RAND Drug Policy Research Center. He also serves as the interim director of RAND San Francisco Bay Area and a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. His research lies at the intersection of public health and public safety, with special emphasis on crime control, substance use, illicit markets, and public policy. Some of his current projects include assessing the consequences of alternatives to drug prohibition; measuring the effect of 24/7 Sobriety programs on drunk driving, domestic violence, and mortality; and evaluating other innovative programs intended to reduce crime. Kilmer’s articles have appeared in leading journals such as Lancet Psychiatry, New England Journal of Medicine, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and his commentaries have been published by CNN, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Newsweek, San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and other outlets. His coauthored book on cannabis legalization was published by Oxford University Press and the second edition was released in 2016. Kilmer received a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Public Service Award for his “leadership and innovation in the areas of alcohol and drug-impaired driving program and policy research” and his co-authored work on 24/7 Sobriety received honourable mention for the Behavioural Exchange Award for Outstanding Research. Before earning his doctorate at Harvard University, Kilmer received a Judicial Administration Fellowship that supported his work with the San Francisco Drug Court.