Podcast: Regulate Sugar Like Drugs? A Strange Idea With Mainstream Support

By Cameron English and ChuckDinerstein — Jun 17, 2026

Should we regulate sugar like opioids? It's a proposal with widespread appeal (at least in the academy). But when considered practically, the idea runs headlong into the complicated realities of food production, federal bureaucracy and individual behavior.

Image: ACSH

Join Dr. Chuck Dinerstein and Cam English on the Science Dispatch podcast as they discuss:

What If Sugar Were Regulated Like Opioids or Air Pollution?

If sugar were considered addictive, everyday consumption would be a different issue. In that world, longstanding assumptions about responsibility, risk, and regulation would start to unravel and result in a fundamentally different conversation about health and governance.

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Cameron English

Executive Vice President

Cameron English is a writer, editor and co-host of the Science Facts and Fallacies Podcast. Before joining ACSH, he was managing editor at the Genetic Literacy Project.