On April 1, 2025, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy from the Executive Office of the President issued its Statement of Drug Policy Priorities. Sadly, as expected, the most abused drug in the nation, alcohol, was left out. Again.
The document opens with this statement, but the emphasis is mine, “The Trump Administration recognizes the urgent need for decisive action to address the scourge of illicit drug use that plagues our Nation and continues to account for the loss of thousands of American lives.”
Alcohol is only mentioned in the efforts of the Federal Government when the Office of National Drug Control Policy states it is a drug when it references the Drug Free Communities Grants. There it indicates, “Since the program’s inception, the past 30-day prevalence of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and prescription drug misuse has declined significantly among middle school and high school aged youth.” Elsewhere, there are no stats, no links, no indication that “alcohol is a scourge that plagues our Nation and continues to account for the loss of thousands of American lives,” but it is, and it does!
Most people don’t use heroin, methamphetamine, or even cocaine. But that’s what our federal government is measuring…those other drugs. And they are siloing them in a way that is not at all useful: cocaine and stimulants; sedatives and tranquilizers; pain relievers… Seriously, I don’t know anyone who can make these distinctions.
The priorities are these:
- Reduce the Number of Overdose Fatalities, with a Focus on Fentanyl Objective: Decrease the number of drug overdose deaths nationwide.
- Secure Global Supply Chain Against Drug Trafficking Objective: Decrease the global movement of illicit drugs, including precursor and related chemicals, through all shipping modalities.
- Stop the Flow of Drugs Across our Borders and into Our Communities Objective: Decrease the domestic availability of illicit drugs.
- Prevent Drug Use Before It Starts Objective: Reduce the initiation of drug use, particularly among young people.
- Provide Treatment That Leads to Long-Term Recovery Objective: Increase the number of individuals receiving evidence-based treatment and achieving long-term recovery from addiction and substance use disorders.
- Innovate in Research and Data to Support Drug Control Strategies Objective: Obtain and apply high-integrity data to address the crisis.
I’m not naïve enough to believe these priorities aren’t political, but I am hopeful enough to think that #4 will focus on the three most common drugs that youth use, alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis, and that both #5 and #6 will recognize that alcohol is the drug – aside from nicotine –that most people are addicted to and the one that causes the most problems, leading to the need for treatment for long-term recovery and research and data to support “drug” control strategies.
I’m happy to be in this fight, educating people about addiction being a disease and treatment working and recovery happening, but I do wish that the government that’s here to help wouldn’t actually work against me.
References
Guided by Guida 
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