Experts warn budget cuts to addiction programs could reverse progress and increase U.S. overdose deaths.

Experts warn Congress that proposed budget cuts to addiction healthcare and research could lead to more overdose deaths in the U.S. A letter signed by over 300 professionals, including physicians and researchers, argues that the 26% drop in fatal overdoses in 2024 was due to increased funding. The proposed cuts to the CDC and SAMHSA may particularly harm rural and urban poor communities and could impede research on new synthetic drugs.