US government fired researchers running a crucial drug use survey

On 1 April, the US government abruptly laid off all 17 people running the country’s only nationwide survey on substance use and mental health. For more than half a century, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) has tracked these issues across the US, helping inform doctors, researchers and policy-makers. Its future is now uncertain, as it isn’t clear who – if anyone – will take over the task.