special report
STAT examines America’s hidden alcohol epidemic
Julia Bujalski/STAT
Alcohol kills nearly 500 Americans every day — more than every infectious disease combined. It’s our most popular and most harmful mind-altering substance, but not since the Prohibition era has it been treated as a public health emergency. Political leaders tend to ignore it: Reagan’s “Just Say No” campaign, Obama’s “drug policy for the 21st century,” and, recently, the Trump-aligned MAHA movement have all focused on harms caused by other substances.
In the new investigative series, “The Deadliest Drug,” STAT’s Isabella Cueto and Lev Facher expose how a lack of public scrutiny combines with powerful special interests to keep people in power from acting in the nation's best interest on alcohol. They interviewed more than 100 researchers, public health experts, doctors, patients, industry insiders, and lawmakers. They reviewed the scientific literature, treatment protocols, public health guidance, and lobbying disclosures from alcohol companies and trade groups.
“The more we've reported on this, the clearer it's become that ignoring the harms of heavy and binge drinking will have massive repercussions on the nation's health for decades to come,” Isa told me. The numbers are hard to forget. “I've started thinking much more deeply and intently about my drinking,” she added.
The first two stories are out today. The first sets the stakes, mapping the existing data on the 178,000 alcohol deaths that occur each year and explaining how the Trump administration is squandering a rare opportunity to tackle this epidemic. The second story, written by Isa with STAT editor Amanda Erickson, goes into the exam room, where doctors still struggle to talk with patients about drinking. Inconsistent screening can lead to worse outcomes for individuals and at a broader population level, but some health systems have found workable solutions.
Read Part 1 and Part 2 now. And bookmark this page to find future installments.
policy
Trump admin takes new approaches on vapes, kratom
And regarding those other substances, we have two quick pieces of news:
On Friday, the FDA handed the tobacco industry another win with a policy that one expert called a “get-out-of-jail-free card” to some manufacturers illegally selling e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches. Essentially, the FDA said it would not go after illegal sales of vapes and nicotine pouches as long as manufacturers met two simple conditions. Read more from STAT’s Sarah Todd on the details and how experts reacted.
And yesterday, President Trump made comments that seemingly ran counter to his administration’s prior actions on 7-OH, an opioid derived from the naturally occurring kratom plant. “We’re looking very seriously at natural 7-OH and getting that approved,” Trump said. But just last year, officials moved to schedule the compound under the Controlled Substances Act, warning it could cause addiction and even death. Read more from Lev.
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