The impact of cash and near-cash social policies on substance use outcomes: A scoping review.

Project overview — This scoping review will map and synthesize the empirical evidence on how U.S. cash and near-cash social safety-net programs influence substance-use outcomes. Policies of interest include SNAP, TANF, the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, WIC, Unemployment Insurance, Supplemental Security Income, LIHEAP, and related cash-transfer initiatives implemented since 2000. Purpose — By collating findings scattered across economics, public-health, and policy literatures, the review will clarify which programs have been evaluated, which substance-use outcomes (alcohol, opioids, cannabis, tobacco, other drugs) have been studied, and where evidence gaps remain. The ultimate aim is to inform evidence-based policy design and future research priorities. Methods (summary) — Following JBI scoping-review guidance and PRISMA-ScR, we will search PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, JSTOR, NBER, and grey literature (government and think-tank reports). Eligible studies are empirical, U.S.-based, published 2000-present, and examine at least one listed program as an exposure and a substance-use outcome. Two reviewers will screen titles/abstracts and full texts in Covidence, extract data with a piloted form, and chart results in tables and narrative synthesis. No meta-analysis is planned. Expected outcomes — A descriptive map of studies by program, outcome, population, design, and data source; identification of methodological strengths and limitations and evidence gaps (e.g., understudied populations, substances, or policy interactions); and recommendations for future research and for policymakers considering program modifications. Dissemination — Findings will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal, presented at public-health conferences, and shared with stakeholders via policy briefs and the OSF project page. All search strategies, extraction forms, and analytic code will be posted here for transparency and reuse.