Alcohol’s deadly toll is overlooked as a public-health crisis, STAT explores why

STAT’s weekly video series highlighted that alcohol kills more Americans than any other drug, yet it is rarely framed as a public‑health emergency. The contrast between its mortality impact and public perception is the focus of the discussion.

Reporters Isabella Cueto and Lev Facher spent months investigating why such a dangerous substance receives ambivalent treatment. Their work culminated in a new STAT series titled “The Deadliest Drug,” which seeks to answer that question.

In the latest STATus Report, senior multimedia producer Alex Hogan interviews Cueto and Facher about their findings, the challenges of addressing alcohol‑related harm, and what steps might be taken to improve public‑health responses.