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Health

US government fired researchers running a crucial drug use survey

A termination letter obtained by New Scientist reveals that the Trump administration has gutted the office that runs the country’s only nationwide survey on drug use and mental health

By Grace Wade

1 April 2025

The only nationwide assessment of drug use in the US is a critical tool in fighting the opioid epidemic

Shutterstock / Kimberly Boyles

On 1 April, the US government abruptly laid off all 17 people running the country’s only nationwide survey on substance use and mental health. For more than half a century, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) has tracked these issues across the US, helping inform doctors, researchers and policy-makers. Its future is now uncertain, as it isn’t clear who – if anyone – will take over the task.

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