special repor
Laura Weiler for STAT
Over the year, STAT reporters have interviewed scientists, patients, university administrators, and federal health workers whose lives have been disrupted by the Trump administration's seismic changes to America's science infrastructure. In the latest installment of our series, reporters caught up with some sources to hear how they've been since we last heard from them. Postscripts include:
- Karen Hollit, a former FDA employee who lost her job on April 1. STAT's Eric Boodman first spoke to Karen this spring about how, even before the layoffs, the Trump administration had triggered her PTSD from her time in the Air Force.
- Josh Fessel, a former NIH employee who resigned "on moral grounds" in February. Working at the federal agency was his dream job. STAT's Anil Oza caught up with Josh to see if he was able to find a new position.
And more. Read their stories.
public health
(Don't) talk to your budtender about whether weed while pregnant is right for you
Medical organizations advise against using weed when pregnant. And yet even as tobacco use among pregnant people declines, weed use has increased over the years. In a secret shopper study published yesterday in JAMA Network Open, California shoppers spoke on the phone with more than 500 "budtenders," retail workers at state-licensed cannabis shops.
In answering the shoppers' questions, less than 1% of budtenders claimed that smoking a blunt (weed in a cigar wrapper) or using tobacco while pregnant is safe, but 20% said using weed was. Most (79%) said tobacco and blunts were unsafe, while about 40% said using weed was unsafe. Under half (44%) of the employees recommended speaking to a doctor before being prompted by the caller.
To be clear: Prenatal cannabis use is associated with adverse outcomes for mothers and their babies, including gestational hypertension for the parent and low birthweight or neurodevelopmental problems for the children. This year (after the study ended), a California law went into effect requiring retailers to prominently display a brochure on the health risks of weed either at the point of sale or upon delivery. In addition, mandatory budtender education on those risks is needed, the study authors write.
first opinion
When to launch an mpox vaccine booster trial
In a new First Opinion essay, two scientists argue that the time is now. In New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, cases are once again on the rise. And even though the numbers remain far below the levels seen during 2022, the authors — queer people who worked on the response to that epidemic — are already receiving questions from their local communities about the likelihood of another emergency situation. One question comes up consistently from other queer people: When should I get an mpox vaccine booster?
But as they write in the essay, they're currently unable to give a satisfying answer. Research is both limited and slow. Read more on the most urgent questions and the barriers that might stand in the way.
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