Dr. Vivek Murthy’s report cites studies linking alcoholic beverages to at least seven malignancies, including breast cancer. But to add warning labels, Congress would have to act.

The U.S. Surgeon General’s call for cancer warnings on alcohol is being welcomed by some substance-misuse prevention advocates in New Hampshire. In an advisory issued last week, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called alcohol the “third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States,” contributing to around 20,000 cancer deaths each year.