I write about substance use and the drug overdose crisis for @statnews.com https://www.statnews.com/staff/lev-facher/https://bsky.app/profile/levfacher.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/levfacher.bsky.social/post/3mlo3cguw2k2mToday my colleague @isabellacueto.bsky.social dropped the first installments of our series "The Deadliest Drug," which highlights our invisible alcohol epidemic. Alcohol kills more people than fentanyl, meth, + cocaine combined. The question is: Why do we let it? https://www.statnews.com/2026/05/12/america-alcohol-epidemic-plain-sight-deadliest-drug-series-part-1/12 May 2026 15:14 +0000at://did:plc:iasiu5mv23uyo7a2u53z5gta/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlo3cguw2k2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/levfacher.bsky.social/post/3mllweasxyk2kA somewhat inscrutable pivot from Trump on 7-OH and (maybe?) kratom: https://www.statnews.com/2026/05/11/trump-pivots-on-kratom-derivative-7-oh-floating-approval-for-some-forms/11 May 2026 18:40 +0000at://did:plc:iasiu5mv23uyo7a2u53z5gta/app.bsky.feed.post/3mllweasxyk2khttps://bsky.app/profile/levfacher.bsky.social/post/3mejxzyiu7k2bNew: A settlement in Washington state between a church group and county government could set new precedent that the ADA protects not just addiction treatment but also harm reduction services like syringe exchange: https://www.statnews.com/2026/02/10/needle-exchanges-protected-by-ada-federal-legal-settlement/10 Feb 2026 22:08 +0000at://did:plc:iasiu5mv23uyo7a2u53z5gta/app.bsky.feed.post/3mejxzyiu7k2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/levfacher.bsky.social/post/3me3leeqjx22lEvery layoff today was a travesty, but noting in particular that WaPo's @davidovalle.bsky.social was one of a tiny handful of staff reporters covering addiction/drugs full-time for a U.S. news outlet. This is a generational public health crisis that our industry should attack, not retreat from05 Feb 2026 04:44 +0000at://did:plc:iasiu5mv23uyo7a2u53z5gta/app.bsky.feed.post/3me3leeqjx22lhttps://bsky.app/profile/levfacher.bsky.social/post/3mdvqmvtw6s2aMore on the Trump administration's big new addiction initiative, featuring a forthcoming RFK road show, involvement from faith-based groups, and a new initiative on homelessness that Kennedy says is based on a model from the Netherlands https://www.statnews.com/2026/02/02/trump-kennedy-addiction-initiative-spiritual-malaise/02 Feb 2026 21:02 +0000at://did:plc:iasiu5mv23uyo7a2u53z5gta/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdvqmvtw6s2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/levfacher.bsky.social/post/3mdlbjd74uc26New: Inside the rise + fall of Opvee, the powerful overdose-reversal medication that Indivior hoped would replace Narcan. Instead, two years after its launch, it's effectively off the market, thanks largely to intense pushback from harm reduction groups. More here: https://www.statnews.com/2026/01/29/why-opvee-overdose-antidote-failed-harm-reduction-community-opposition/29 Jan 2026 17:05 +0000at://did:plc:iasiu5mv23uyo7a2u53z5gta/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdlbjd74uc26https://bsky.app/profile/levfacher.bsky.social/post/3mcfjzddvoc2sThe Trump administration is slashing nearly $2 billion in existing grants for mental health, addiction treatment, HIV/hep C prevention, and more, the latest in a yearlong degradation of SAMHSA https://www.statnews.com/2026/01/14/samhsa-grant-cancellations-alignment-trump-priorities/14 Jan 2026 16:56 +0000at://did:plc:iasiu5mv23uyo7a2u53z5gta/app.bsky.feed.post/3mcfjzddvoc2shttps://bsky.app/profile/levfacher.bsky.social/post/3m7qm5u7xsk2dScoop: Art Kleinschmidt, SAMHSA's de facto head since April, is leaving the beleaguered agency this week for a role at the Department of Homeland Security https://www.statnews.com/2025/12/11/samsha-acting-chief-art-kleinschmidt-leaves-post/11 Dec 2025 22:18 +0000at://did:plc:iasiu5mv23uyo7a2u53z5gta/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7qm5u7xsk2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/levfacher.bsky.social/post/3m52zkkonmc2fSurreal to read the words of the late Sharon Begley in STAT's obituary of James Watson, whom she describes as legend of science but also a man whose "public and unrepentant racism and sexism ... made him a pariah in life and poisoned his legacy in death" https://www.statnews.com/2025/11/07/james-watson-remembrance-from-dna-pioneer-to-pariah/07 Nov 2025 21:29 +0000at://did:plc:iasiu5mv23uyo7a2u53z5gta/app.bsky.feed.post/3m52zkkonmc2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/levfacher.bsky.social/post/3m22otk5dg22uMajor news in opioid crisis world: Indivior will no longer promote its controversial overdose-reversal medication Opvee, following lagging sales and outcry from harm reduction groups that it unnecessarily sent OD victims into agonizing withdrawal https://www.statnews.com/2025/09/30/ny-ag-settlement-indivior-opvee-overdose-drug/30 Sep 2025 14:02 +0000at://did:plc:iasiu5mv23uyo7a2u53z5gta/app.bsky.feed.post/3m22otk5dg22uhttps://bsky.app/profile/levfacher.bsky.social/post/3lxi6wqcurc2gInside RFK's stunning ouster of Susan Monarez as CDC director, via @danielpayne.bsky.social https://www.statnews.com/2025/08/28/cdc-director-fired-behind-the-scenes-look/28 Aug 2025 18:39 +0000at://did:plc:iasiu5mv23uyo7a2u53z5gta/app.bsky.feed.post/3lxi6wqcurc2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/levfacher.bsky.social/post/3lvducozcls2dThe FDA is requiring opioid manufacturers to rewrite drug warning labels to stress the risks of long-term opioid use: https://www.statnews.com/2025/08/01/fda-opioids-labels-risks-overdose-death/01 Aug 2025 14:28 +0000at://did:plc:iasiu5mv23uyo7a2u53z5gta/app.bsky.feed.post/3lvducozcls2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/levfacher.bsky.social/post/3lv7i5hjo5s2pIncredible reporting from my @statnews.com colleague @lizzylawrence.bsky.social on the ouster of Vinay Prasad from the FDA: https://www.statnews.com/2025/07/30/vinay-prasad-analysis-departure-fda-cber-director-top-vaccine-official/30 Jul 2025 20:39 +0000at://did:plc:iasiu5mv23uyo7a2u53z5gta/app.bsky.feed.post/3lv7i5hjo5s2phttps://bsky.app/profile/levfacher.bsky.social/post/3lv6ydsfudk2pExclusive: Trump's nominee to serve as HHS general counsel has sponsored legislation that would ban methadone clinics outright. Mike Stuart, a W.V. state lawmaker, has also advocated for banning syringe exchange. (West Virginia's drug death rate is significantly higher than any other state) https://www.statnews.com/2025/07/30/mike-stuart-hhs-general-counsel-nominee-methadone-treatment-ban-west-virginia/30 Jul 2025 15:57 +0000at://did:plc:iasiu5mv23uyo7a2u53z5gta/app.bsky.feed.post/3lv6ydsfudk2phttps://bsky.app/profile/levfacher.bsky.social/post/3lusqph52bc2fNew for @statnews.com: Trump's executive order takes direct aim at supervised consumption sites like OnPoint NYC and harm reduction more broadly https://www.statnews.com/2025/07/25/trump-executive-order-targets-supervised-consumption-harm-reduction/25 Jul 2025 19:08 +0000at://did:plc:iasiu5mv23uyo7a2u53z5gta/app.bsky.feed.post/3lusqph52bc2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/levfacher.bsky.social/post/3ltwlfuct3k2iNew: Inside the elite Pennsylvania rehab facility aggressively prescribing GLP-1s, normally used for weight loss, as medications to treat addiction “I truly think these medications work because obesity is an addiction to food.” https://www.statnews.com/2025/07/14/glp1-drugs-addiction-treatment-rehab-center-uses-weight-loss-drugs-to-reduce-cravings/14 Jul 2025 14:19 +0000at://did:plc:iasiu5mv23uyo7a2u53z5gta/app.bsky.feed.post/3ltwlfuct3k2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/levfacher.bsky.social/post/3lpozki747c2yBluesky addiction medicine/recovery folks: Seeking perspectives from people who've used GLP-1s, either for weight management/diabetes or for addiction treatment itself, and have found the medications impacted their cravings, use patterns, etc. — please email me at lev.facher@statnews.com!21 May 2025 16:30 +0000at://did:plc:iasiu5mv23uyo7a2u53z5gta/app.bsky.feed.post/3lpozki747c2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/levfacher.bsky.social/post/3lp5botsfec25New: CDC data released today shows a 27% decrease in drug overdose deaths in 2024 compared to the year prior, as fentanyl deaths plummet but deaths involving stimulants like meth and cocaine increase https://www.statnews.com/2025/05/14/drug-overdose-deaths-drop-27-percent-cdc-says-fentanyl-drops-meth-rising/14 May 2025 15:07 +0000at://did:plc:iasiu5mv23uyo7a2u53z5gta/app.bsky.feed.post/3lp5botsfec25https://bsky.app/profile/levfacher.bsky.social/post/3lomgjgyras22MAHA leader Casey Means is the new nominee to serve as U.S. Surgeon General, via @isabellacueto.bsky.social https://www.statnews.com/2025/05/07/trump-picks-casey-means-maha-influencer-for-surgeon-general-post/07 May 2025 22:19 +0000at://did:plc:iasiu5mv23uyo7a2u53z5gta/app.bsky.feed.post/3lomgjgyras22https://bsky.app/profile/levfacher.bsky.social/post/3lololt5jls2mNew: Pam Bondi's exaggerated remarks on fentanyl interdiction in Trump's first 100 days "saving 258 million lives" are rooted in a long history of squishy law enforcement claims about drug busts https://www.statnews.com/2025/05/07/pam-bondi-fentanyl-experts-say-attorney-general-claims-false-implausible-misleading/07 May 2025 15:10 +0000at://did:plc:iasiu5mv23uyo7a2u53z5gta/app.bsky.feed.post/3lololt5jls2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/levfacher.bsky.social/post/3lo4kqjjygs25New: How medetomidine, a sedative commonly used in hospital and veterinary settings, is rapidly replacing xylazine in the drug supply — complicating overdose reversals and leaving users in excruciating, "life-threatening" withdrawal https://www.statnews.com/2025/05/01/medetomidine-replacing-xylazine-in-fentanyl-increases-overdose-danger-withdrawal-risks/01 May 2025 14:51 +0000at://did:plc:iasiu5mv23uyo7a2u53z5gta/app.bsky.feed.post/3lo4kqjjygs25https://bsky.app/profile/levfacher.bsky.social/post/3lnnnfhewbs27President Trump's first 100 days of downsizing, dismantling, and derailing much of the American scientific enterprise — remarkable reporting from my STAT colleagues https://www.statnews.com/2025/04/25/trump-100-days-nih-cuts-human-impact/25 Apr 2025 16:29 +0000at://did:plc:iasiu5mv23uyo7a2u53z5gta/app.bsky.feed.post/3lnnnfhewbs27https://bsky.app/profile/levfacher.bsky.social/post/3lnlic6nh322zNew from Nashville: RFK navigates protests, jeers at Rx Summit, where he stuck to his personal story and didn't stray into politics or any ongoing HHS controversy https://www.statnews.com/2025/04/24/rfk-jr-outlines-addiction-policy-rx-summit-protests/24 Apr 2025 19:52 +0000at://did:plc:iasiu5mv23uyo7a2u53z5gta/app.bsky.feed.post/3lnlic6nh322zhttps://bsky.app/profile/levfacher.bsky.social/post/3lmxdzt4ngc2uNew: A federal judge has given the go-ahead to a class-action lawsuit targeting the Salvation Army's policy of denying spots in its rehab facilities to people who take methadone or buprenorphine — potentially a landmark case for access to addiction medications https://www.statnews.com/2025/04/16/addiction-treatment-medication-class-action-lawsuit-salvation-army/16 Apr 2025 19:43 +0000at://did:plc:iasiu5mv23uyo7a2u53z5gta/app.bsky.feed.post/3lmxdzt4ngc2u