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This issue tracks federal funding and lobbying activity around addiction and youth mental health. SAMHSA awarded $73 million in new grants for children's mental health and suicide prevention programs, while new survey data shows continued declines in alcohol and drug use among young Americans. A veteran's story also highlights how stable housing helped him rebuild his life after addiction, and a new lobbying filing shows industry pushback forming around kratom regulation.
Legis1
End Kratom Addiction hired Bob Good LLC in a Aug. 3 filing, with a focused lobbying effort on alcohol and drug abuse issues. Regulation on kratom, a unregulated supplement, has become a flashpoint between public health advocates and industry players. The filing reports no lobbying income for the registration period. Bob Good, the sole lobbyist listed, has no prior government experience and no congressional staff experience on record.
VA News
Gregory Searls never could've imagined that one of the hardest chapters of his life would come after his service, not during it. That chapter in his life was marked by housing instability and addiction; he never saw it coming. He proudly served in the Navy from 1968 to 1970 as an equipment operator at Naval Base San Diego, Naval Air Station Pensacola and Naval Base Ventura County, Port Hueneme. Largely inspired by his father's military service, he describes his service as a learning process that helped him shape his values and character.
American Hospital Association
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration announced July 31 that it awarded $73.2 million in grants for children's mental health, suicide prevention and assisted outpatient treatment programs. SAMHSA will award $44.3 million to the Children's Mental Health Initiative, which provides mental health services to children, youth and young adults from birth through age 21 with a serious emotional disturbance.
ACB News
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration released new data this week showing a decline in tobacco, alcohol and drug use among U.S. adolescents and young adults. The agency's annual national survey looked at drug use and mental health among 12-to-17-year-olds and 18-to-25-year-olds in 2025.
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
Insecure attachment, difficulties in emotion regulation and alexithymia have been independently linked to both suicidal behavior and substance use disorders. However, their joint contribution as intersecting, transdiagnostic mechanisms in comorbid clinical presentations remains insufficiently explored.
Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy
Tobacco use remains disproportionately high among people receiving treatment for alcohol or cannabis use, yet it is rarely addressed in substance use services. This study explored the lived experiences of people who smoke while undergoing treatment for alcohol and/or cannabis use, aiming to identify barriers and facilitators to integrating tobacco cessation into public substance use services.