Future of national drug survey uncertain following federal cuts

Federal spending cuts announced this week will likely jeopardize a 50-year-old government survey used to track drug use and develop prevention tactics (Source: “Health department layoffs mean that data on drug use and mental health could sit unused,” Associated Press, April 2).
 
The entire 17-member U.S. government team responsible for the National Survey on Drug Use and Health received layoff notices Tuesday, as part of the overhaul of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
 
It’s not clear whether there is an alternative plan to analyze the data, which local and state governments use to develop prevention measures and treatment services. The federal government distributes grant money to fight the overdose crisis based on it. Researchers also use it to study trends in depression, alcoholism and tobacco use.
 
HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said the survey, mandated by Congress, will continue “as a vital contribution to the advancement of America’s behavioral health.” He said the department’s reorganization will make it “better positioned to execute on Congress’s statutory intent.”
 
The nationally representative survey is conducted in person by an independent research group with about 70,000 people each year. It provides a more complete picture than trends in overdose deaths, which capture only a small segment of the problem, said Lindsey Vuolo of the Partnership to End Addiction.