This $241,079 National Science Foundation project grant funds research at North Carolina State University from August 2022 to July 2026 to study the unintended consequences of law enforcement disruptions to illicit drug networks.
The Engineering grant (CFDA #47.041) will construct a county-level dataset across 10 states integrating data on drug seizures, crime incidents, mortality records, and census information. Researchers will employ spatial temporal causal modeling to analyze relationships between drug market disruptions and public health/safety outcomes like overdoses and violent crime. The integrated datasets and findings will be shared with other researchers. Engagement with stakeholders may inform strategies to mitigate unintended consequences of disruptions and reduce disparities in outcomes. The goal is to better understand impacts on both public health and safety to inform interdiction strategies and resource allocation at local, state, and federal levels.