Alcohol Industry Scores Big with MAHA Strategy, Public Health Loses
ALCOHOL INDUSTRY SCORES BIG WITH MAHA STRATEGY, PUBLIC HEALTH LOSES
Report ignores rising alcohol deaths, undermines science, and weakens U.S. alcohol policy
Alcohol-related deaths have surged 29% in the past decade, yet the Make America Health Again (MAHA) Strategy Report released earlier this week sidelines alcohol as a public health priority and undermines science-based policymaking. Instead of addressing alcohol — the nation's third-leading preventable cause of death — the report criticizes the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for incorporating rigorous science into the development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs).
“If implemented, the MAHA Strategy would roll back the very few public health advances America has made over the past 20 years in reducing alcohol-related harms,” said Mike Marshall, CEO of the U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance (USAPA). “At this rate, MAHA may as well stand for Make America Hungover Again.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), alcohol kills more than 178,000 Americans every year — a toll greater than fentanyl overdoses, car crashes, and gun violence combined. Alcohol is a leading driver of suicide, a fast-rising contributor to cancer deaths, and the most commonly misused substance among both adults and children. The situation in the U.S. appears even more grim as Canada and Europe move toward stronger guidelines around alcohol consumption.
Yet, despite these alarming statistics, the MAHA Strategy limits future federal action to a single commitment: “The Surgeon General will launch an education and awareness initiative on the impact of alcohol, controlled substances, vaping, and THC on children’s health.” This not only absolves the federal government of responsibility to educate adults, but also echoes the alcohol industry’s decades-long push to frame alcohol harms as a matter of “personal responsibility” rather than public health regulation.
Even more concerning, the Strategy’s first policy recommendation is to “reform future DGA development processes, including structure and members of the advisory committee and scientific review of future DGAs.” This language mirrors alcohol industry lobbying that successfully pressured policymakers to disregard the Alcohol Intake & Health Study — produced by the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD) — which, consistent with the World Health Organization, found that no level of alcohol consumption is safe. In retaliation for these findings, both the White House and House of Representatives have proposed defunding the ICCPUD altogether.
“With the DOGE elimination of most alcohol programs within CDC, industry profits are being protected at the expense of American lives,” said Rick Collins, director of the Hawai`i Alcohol Policy Alliance. “This Strategy is not a roadmap for prevention — it’s a victory lap for Big Alcohol.”
USAPA is calling on the administration and Congress to reject the MAHA Strategy's rollbacks, restore funding to evidence-based alcohol research and prevention, and uphold the principle that public health — not industry profits — must guide U.S. alcohol policy.
About the U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance
Founded in 2014, the U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance is the national voice on alcohol policy — working to change the narrative about alcohol, define an actionable agenda for policymaking at all levels, and build a movement driven by the truth that alcohol harms. Envisioning a nation free from alcohol-related disease, death and injury, the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization is leading the fight to change America’s relationship with alcohol by translating alcohol policy research into public health practice. Learn more, including ways to support the organization, at www.AlcoholPolicy.org and follow USAPA on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and Instagram.
