How the alcohol lobby shapes health policy | Deadliest Drug Series

In late 2024, Len Lichtenfeld found himself compelled to issue a long-overdue apology. He was troubled by a conversation he had nearly a decade earlier with a New York Times reporter, during which he supported the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) official stance that consuming one or two alcoholic drinks per day was safe, even as a cancer prevention measure.

However, there was increasing evidence to counter this claim, information that Lichtenfeld was aware of from the epidemiologists at ACS but chose not to disclose. Additionally, he failed to mention that the ACS was receiving substantial financial support from the alcohol industry through an annual gala in New York City, details of which are being revealed here for the first time.

Lichtenfeld, who was then serving as the deputy chief medical officer at ACS, expressed to STAT that he felt an indirect obligation to satisfy these donors. “It stayed with me, because I knew it was a conflicted situation,” he admitted.

In 2020, Lichtenfeld was laid off from ACS amid broader financial cutbacks, and the society subsequently revised its guidelines to recommend abstaining from alcohol for cancer prevention.

Executives from ACS informed STAT that this change in guidance resulted from a scheduled update of their nutrition guidelines. They also acknowledged that their epidemiologists had been advocating for a stronger stance on alcohol since the late 2010s.

“It was the right thing to do in 2020,” remarked William Dahut, the chief scientific officer at ACS, to STAT. “The whole committee strongly endorsed where we stand now.”

Despite the society’s ultimate reversal, Lichtenfeld’s exchange with the reporter continued to weigh on him, as it highlighted how special interests could influence public health messaging. He pointed to the U.S.’s lenient view of alcohol, which ranks as the deadliest drug after tobacco and is the root of a significant addiction crisis, as a significant example.

STAT’s investigation reveals that the alcohol industry has been remarkably effective in leveraging allies and financial resources to its advantage, stifling measures that could threaten its profits. Utilizing strategies reminiscent of the tobacco industry, the alcohol sector has entrenched itself within health philanthropy, federal research initiatives, and across various tiers of political and policy frameworks.

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