All Prevention Is Intertwined, Alcohol Justice Tells Lawmakers In Wake of SAMHSA Funding Upheaval

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SAN RAFAEL, Calif, Jan. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the sudden cancellation, then reinstatement, of $2 billion in federal behavioral grants on January 13^th and 14^th, Alcohol Justice extends its appreciation to the U.S. senators and members of Congress who pushed to reverse the decision. Their quick, decisive action maintained the continuity of critical community services, and emphasized the power of a well-supported and diverse community health infrastructure.

"We're proud of the work our elected representatives did to protect our communities," said Miryom Yisrael, Executive Director of Alcohol Justice. "We always hope they'll rise to the moment like this when we vote to send them to Washington."

On the evening of January 13^th, hundreds of organizations across the country who were receiving funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration were instructed that their activities no longer aligned with the priorities of the Trump administration, and would be cancelled. These cancellation letters were sent to organizations across the nation, serving all kinds of significant prevention and treatment roles, including:

• Underage alcohol use prevention
• Substance use disorder treatment
• Overdose prevention and medication for opioid use disorder
• Suicide prevention
• Mental health services
• HIV prevention and early intervention
• Homelessness and housing services

In addition, this highly targeted funding allows small, flexible organizations to provide services tailored to communities that might not be well-served by large institutions. This allows smaller SAMHSA grants to have outsized impacts among youth and the elderly, and within BIPOC communities, LGBTQ+ populations, residents of largely rural areas, and other groups who are too often overlooked. The cancellations threatened to hit those who receive the least care and investment the hardest.

"Through our statewide advocacy work, I know how vital these grants are," said Raul Verdugo, Director of Advocacy for Alcohol Justice. "They empower organizations to serve communities with the fewest resources. The swift action by our senators and representatives to reinstate funding highlights the importance of protecting these programs—and listening to the people they impact every day."

Reports from that chaotic day suggest that, between constituent calls and legislators' own concern for their communities, the Department of Health and Human services was persuaded to rescind the cuts and reinstate the funding.

Despite the reprieve, the crisis called into sharp relief how much U.S. communities depend on the local organizations who receive this funding. Of particular significance to Alcohol Justice, the STOP Act has been instrumental in helping reduce rates of youth drinking by double digits since it was passed in 2006. Alcohol Justice has received STOP Act funding in the past, and several allied organizations receive it today.

The funds from STOP Act are a drop in the bucket of behavioral health funds, though, amounting to only $14.5 million out of the $2 billion cancelled on Tuesday night. At the same time, every penny of those funds was relevant to alcohol prevention, since there is no aspect of community behavioral health that is not affected by alcohol, or able to provide greater benefit as the harms of alcohol are reduced. Like a rising tide lifting all boats, investment in any prevention and treatment improves all community wellbeing and dignity. For example:

• People with a substance use disorder are likely to also have alcohol use disorder (AUD), and AUD can be treated with medication-assisted therapy strategies much like opioid dependence
• Alcohol use raises overdose risk when used along with opioids, and in 2021, alcohol was identified as a contributing factor in 11,969 opioid overdoses nationwide
• The risk of suicide rises 94% when the victim has a history of drinking
• Individuals with a mental illness diagnosis were twice as likely to have AUD as those without one
• Among housing-unstable young adults in Los Angeles, homelessness was not just a result of AUD—AUD increased when their feelings of being stably housed declined

These are just a few of the ways that alcohol intersects with harms arising from many of the prevention and treatment priorities that SAMHSA funds. Just as no one should be left behind by their community, no source of harm should be ignored by groups working on parallel behavioral health challenges.

"Alcohol prevention is not the end goal," said Carson Benowitz-Fredericks, Research Director for Alcohol Justice. "The end goal is the prevention of suffering, injury, and death. Reducing alcohol consumption gets there. Preventing overdose gets there. Ensuring culturally competent mental health care gets there, too."

Being able to reduce harm through these grants does not just provide succor to communities, it provides cost-efficient solutions for economically and emotionally devastating outcomes. According to an analysis from RAND, the average SAMHSA grant totaled $2.3 million, though that is heavily weighted towards to large grants given to states. Even so, the potential impact per dollar spent is astonishing. For example: 

• A single prevented suicide saves $859,000, along with uncountable pain—just 3 lives saved more than pays for that investment. 
  
  
• Each HIV infection prevented, through education or PreP, saves $229,800—just 10 cases prevented pays for the grant. 
  
  
• Each fatal overdose prevented saves an astonishing $11.5 million in costs to the U.S.—meaning a single overdose prevented returns the value of the grant 5 times over

"Never underestimate community health groups' abilities to have impact well beyond their size," said Rob Lipton, Scientific Director for Alcohol Justice. "By keeping this funding intact, we empower the community members able to do the most with the least."

Thanks to the quick action of many legislators, from both parties, both houses, and every part of the country, the worst impacts have been reversed. Alcohol Justice would like to extend appreciation to them for their work on communities' behalf, and recognize the role everyday citizens had in urging their representatives to act. But most importantly, we would like to stand in solidarity with the many community organizations who have received these funds and turned them into hope, care, and healing.

For more information or to schedule an interview, please call the contacts above or email [email protected].

About Alcohol Justice:
Alcohol Justice is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1987 and dedicated to reducing alcohol-related harm through research, advocacy, and community engagement. By holding the alcohol industry accountable and promoting evidence-based policies, Alcohol Justice works to create healthier, safer communities. Sign up to receive Alcohol Justice eNews and Action Alerts.

SOURCE Alcohol Justice