I owe Len Lichtenfeld a long apology. In late 2024, Lichtenfeld was haunted by an exchange with a New York Times reporter from nearly a decade ago, in which he defended the American Cancer Society’s official position that one or two drinks a day is safe, even for cancer prevention.
There was mounting evidence to the contrary, and he knew about it from an epidemiologist on his staff, but he didn’t mention it. Mr. Lichtenfeld had something else left to say. Behind the scenes, the American Cancer Society raised millions of dollars from the alcohol industry through an annual gala in New York City, details of which are reported here for the first time.
Lichtenfeld, an oncologist who was ACS’ deputy chief medical officer at the time, told STAT that he felt indirect pressure to keep these donors happy. “That stuck with me because I knew it was a contradictory situation,” he said.
In 2020, he was fired from the ACS as part of broader budget cuts, and the association separately changed its recommendation that abstinence is the best way to prevent cancer.
Executives told STAT that the change in messaging is a result of regular updates to nutritional guidelines. But they acknowledged that staff epidemiologists had been pushing for stronger alcohol statements since the late 2010s.
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“It was the right thing to do in 2020,” William Dahut, ACS chief scientific officer, told STAT. “The entire committee strongly supported our current position.”
Despite society’s eventual turnaround, Lichtenfeld’s interactions with reporters “weighed heavily” on him. He said that’s because it illustrated how special interests can infiltrate public health messages. America’s attitude toward alcohol, the second deadliest drug after tobacco and the most neglected cause of the addiction crisis, is a prime example.
STAT’s investigation found that the alcohol trade has been highly successful in concealing proposals that could squeeze profits and in using allies and funds to reap profits. Utilizing tactics reminiscent of the tobacco industry’s strategies, the tobacco industry has integrated itself into health philanthropy, federal science, and politics and policymaking at all levels.
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