edited by Claire Cameron<\/span><\/p>\ndragana991 via Getty Images<\/p>\n
The Trump administration has reportedly slashed U.S. federal funding for mental health and addiction programs, a move that experts say will exacerbate the country\u2019s already acute drug crisis.<\/p>\n
The loss could total some $2 billion in grants from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), NPR reported, citing unnamed sources. But the extent of the cuts has not been verified. The number of grants canceled could be as high as 2,800, according to STAT.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is going to cost American lives, no doubt,\u201d says Daniel Ciccarone, a professor of addiction medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. \u201cIt\u2019s an utter shame, given the fact that overdoses are on the decline.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cNow is not the time to let up on our efforts,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data showing that estimated drug overdose deaths between August 2024 and August 2025 declined by nearly 21 percent compared with the previous year.<\/p>\n
The decline in overdose deaths in the U.S. is not by chance, says Regina LaBelle, a professor of addiction policy at Georgetown University.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe federal government invested in state and community-based efforts to prevent substance use, treat people with substance use disorder and support recovery. The funding cuts made by the administration today reflect a retreat from these investments,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
The development is a \u201cshock,\u201d Ciccarone says, noting that the opioid epidemic has disproportionately affected red states. \u201cThe Trump administration, in both terms, could be claiming some credit for the reduction in deaths,\u201d he says. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t make any sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caleb Banta-Green, a research professor at the University of Washington, who studies drug trends, says the cuts would \u201cgut\u201d lifesaving services for people all across the country. \u201cIn addition to saving lives and supporting recovery, treating substance use disorder is the most impactful way to reduce \u2018demand\u2019 for drugs, with its upstream impacts on drug trafficking and manufacturing,\u201d he says. Combating drug trafficking has been a priority of the Trump administration.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bottom line is that federal investment in mental health and addiction services saves lives,\u201d said Arthur C. Evans, Jr., CEO of the American Psychological Association, in a statement. \u201cAbruptly cutting this support, including to school-based and other youth-focused mental health programs, threatens to destabilize mental health care in our communities and puts our most vulnerable populations at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and SAMHSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n
Editor\u2019s Note (1\/14\/26): This article was updated with additional information. This is a breaking news story and may be updated further.<\/p>\n
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