Lev Facher

Alcohol kills ~500 people a day in the U.S. But it's not treated with much urgency in this country. On this week's STATus Report, my @statnews.com colleagues @isabellacueto.bsky.social and @levfacher.bsky.social join me to discuss their new reporting on why that is. youtu.be/vRfMXv8-3AY

A somewhat inscrutable pivot from Trump on 7-OH and (maybe?) kratom: www.statnews.com/2026/05/11/t...

New: 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: www.statnews.com/2026/02/10/n...

Every 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 from

More 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 www.statnews.com/2026/02/02/t...

New: 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: www.statnews.com/2026/01/29/w...

The 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

Scoop: 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 www.statnews.com/2025/12/11/s...

Surreal 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" www.statnews.com/2025/11/07/j...

Goodbye, SAMHSA? After the Trump administration's latest layoffs at the federal agency for mental health and addiction treatment, the agency is in shambles. On the sacking of SAMHSA and what it means for the country's behavioral health, w/ @levfacher.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2025/10/30/s...

Major 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 www.statnews.com/2025/09/30/n...

Sara Carter, formerly of Fox News, argues her firsthand reporting experience qualifies her for a leading role combating drug trafficking and the overdose crisis. www.statnews.com/2025/09/17/s...

Inside RFK's stunning ouster of Susan Monarez as CDC director, via @danielpayne.bsky.social

MAHA turned 1 over the weekend, and it's hard to believe it's only been one year since Kennedy endorsed Trump and kickstarted this movement. I talked with nearly two dozen people to try and make sense of all that has happened — or not. Lots to unpack! www.statnews.com/2025/08/25/r...

The FDA is requiring opioid manufacturers to rewrite drug warning labels to stress the risks of long-term opioid use: www.statnews.com/2025/08/01/f...

Incredible reporting from my @statnews.com colleague @lizzylawrence.bsky.social on the ouster of Vinay Prasad from the FDA: www.statnews.com/2025/07/30/v...

Exclusive: 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)

The FDA is recommending the DEA crack down on 7-OH, a psychoactive compound derived from the kratom plant. w/ @levfacher.bsky.social: www.statnews.com/2025/07/29/7...

New for @statnews.com: Trump's executive order takes direct aim at supervised consumption sites like OnPoint NYC and harm reduction more broadly www.statnews.com/2025/07/25/t...

New: 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.” www.statnews.com/2025/07/14/g...

Yesterday, we dove into all the data on chronic disease in the U.S. So, what can actually make a dent in it? Here are 3 big ideas: www.statnews.com/2025/05/21/r...

Bluesky 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!

New: 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 www.statnews.com/2025/05/14/d...

MAHA leader Casey Means is the new nominee to serve as U.S. Surgeon General, via @isabellacueto.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2025/05/07/t...

New: 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 www.statnews.com/2025/05/07/p...

New: 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 www.statnews.com/2025/05/01/m...

President Trump's first 100 days of downsizing, dismantling, and derailing much of the American scientific enterprise — remarkable reporting from my STAT colleagues www.statnews.com/2025/04/25/t...

New 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 www.statnews.com/2025/04/24/r...

New: 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 www.statnews.com/2025/04/16/a...

The Trump administration has been offering laid-off HHS leadership roles working for the Indian Health Service in Alaska, Montana, and Oklahoma, among other regions: www.statnews.com/2025/04/01/h...

Meet Sara Carter, a former Fox News contributor and conservative journalist with close ties to Tom Homan — she will soon serve as the nation's top drug policy official www.statnews.com/2025/03/28/t...

Scoop: The NIH has placed Tara Schwetz, a deputy director and the official largely responsible for the creation of ARPA-H, on administrative leave — the third senior leader to depart the agency in ~2 months www.statnews.com/2025/03/26/t...

NIDA Director Nora Volkow says of Trump changes to NIH policies: “They have increased my blood pressure and heart rate." Goes on to question RFK's views on 12-step recovery but gives credit to law enforcement's role in fentanyl interdiction, lower deaths www.statnews.com/2025/03/13/n...

Excellent reporting on the chaos, staff reduction, and demoralization taking place across SAMHSA via @rosebroderick.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2025/03/12/s...

#Breaking - Federal judge extends restraining order on Trump administration’s cap on NIH indirect costs

Looking to talk with federal employees with disabilities who were terminated this weekend, especially folks hired through Schedule A or disabled veterans. Please boost! #disability #journorequest

Despite MAHA/RFK claims, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are not among the top recipients of pharmaceutical industry campaign contributions (in fact, in the last decade they've received zero donations from pharma PACs/executives) www.statnews.com/2025/02/03/b...

STAT's staff is live-blogging the first of two Senate confirmation hearings being held this week for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: www.statnews.com/2025/01/29/r...

At his hearing, RFK Jr. is asked about a @statnews.com report that his presidential campaign was raising money off the HHS freeze. “I don’t think my campaign exists anymore,” Kennedy replied. His campaign sent out another fundraising email during the hearing. www.statnews.com/2025/01/27/r...

On the eve of RRK Jr.’s confirmation hearings, his niece, a physician, shared a trove of private emails showing RFK Jr. making false claims about Covid-19 vaccines, linking vaccines to autism and raising doubts about the flu shots. W/ @rickberke.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2025/01/28/k...

A surprise endorsement for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s views on addiction: His cousin, former congressman Patrick Kennedy www.statnews.com/2025/01/28/r...

Trump's restrictions on comms and DEI are sparking chaos across federal health & science agencies: www.statnews.com/2025/01/24/t... by @levfacher.bsky.social + a great team of @statnews.com reporters

NEW: Inside this week's chaos @ government science agencies -NIH study sections cancelled -ARPA-H "proposers' days" pivot to virtual-only then get cancelled outright -FDA scrubs DEI info — not just re: staff but about representation in clinical trials www.statnews.com/2025/01/24/t...

A veteran NIAID researcher who challenged Anthony Fauci on vaccine mandates has been named the acting director of the National Institutes of Health: www.statnews.com/2025/01/24/t...

Breaking news: Purdue Pharma has agreed in principle to a new $7.4 billion settlement that doesn't grant Sackler family members immunity from future lawsuits

If your work has been impacted by the Trump administration's freeze on scientific meetings/comms or its executive actions targeting DEI programs, STAT wants to know more: www.statnews.com/2025/01/22/t...