[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 105 (Tuesday, June 21, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3033-S3034]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 685--DESIGNATING JUNE 26, 2022 AS THE ``INTERNATIONAL 
            DAY AGAINST DRUG ABUSE AND ILLICIT TRAFFICKING''

  Mr. WHITEHOUSE (for himself, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. 
Cornyn, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Risch, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Hawley, and Mr. Lujan) 
submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 685

       Whereas the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 
     (referred to in this preamble as ``UNODC'') estimated that 
     275,000,000 individuals used illicit drugs worldwide in 2019, 
     a 22 percent increase from 2010;
       Whereas UNODC estimated that, globally, 36,300,000 
     individuals suffered from substance use disorders in 2019;
       Whereas the Substance Abuse and Mental Health 
     Administration reported that, in 2020, 37,300,000 individuals 
     aged 12 or older had used an illicit drug in the United 
     States in the past month, and 41,100,000 individuals aged 12 
     or older had needed substance abuse treatment in the past 
     year;

[[Page S3034]]

       Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
     (referred to in this preamble as ``CDC'') estimated that more 
     than 107,000 individuals died from drug overdoses in 2021;
       Whereas, according to the CDC, synthetic drugs, such as 
     fentanyl and methamphetamine, are among the primary drivers 
     of overdose deaths in the United States;
       Whereas CDC data indicates that drug overdose deaths have 
     accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic;
       Whereas the National Institute of Drug Abuse estimates that 
     illicit drug use costs the United States $193,000,000,000 
     annually in healthcare costs, crime, and lost productivity;
       Whereas the Drug Enforcement Administration reports that 
     drug trafficking fuels the drug overdose epidemic in the 
     United States and can lead to violence in communities 
     throughout the country and the world;
       Whereas the Department of State reports that the illicit 
     drug trade can undermine the rule-of-law and fuel corruption; 
     and
       Whereas the United Nations General Assembly established 
     June 26 as the ``International Day against Drug Abuse and 
     Illicit Trafficking'': Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) encourages access to prevention, treatment, and 
     recovery programs for individuals with substance use 
     disorders, including access to medication-assisted treatment 
     and telehealth services;
       (2) commends the efforts of law enforcement agencies and 
     officers to detect, curtail, and prevent drug trafficking and 
     production domestically and internationally;
       (3) applauds the work of law enforcement agencies, 
     prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges who work to 
     connect individuals with a substance use disorders to 
     treatment;
       (4) supports research into treatments for substance use 
     disorders;
       (5) encourages greater international cooperation to 
     dismantle drug trafficking organizations and transnational 
     criminal organizations involved in the illicit drug trade;
       (6) supports efforts to unravel financial networks that 
     enable the illicit drug trade;
       (7) calls on other United Nations Member States to mark the 
     ``International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit 
     Trafficking''; and
       (8) designates June 26, 2022 as the ``International Day 
     against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking''.

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