The only nation-wide assessment of drug use in the US is a critical tool in fighting the opioid epidemicShutterstock / Kimberly BoylesOn 1 April, the US government abruptly laid off all 17 people running the countrys 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 isnt clear who if anyone will take over the task.