[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 251 (Thursday, December 31, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 81836]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-32929]



[[Page 81836]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Notice To Announce Commission of a Surgeon General's Report on 
Substance Use, Addiction, and Health

AGENCY: Office of the Surgeon General (OSG) and Substance Abuse and 
Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Department of Health 
and Human Services (DHHS).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: On behalf of the United States Department of Health and Human 
Services, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 
and the Office of the Surgeon General announce the commission of the 
first-ever Surgeon General's Report presenting the state of the science 
on substance use, addiction, and health. The report will examine the 
health effects of drug and alcohol misuse from the perspectives of 
prevention, treatment, recovery, neurobiology, and delivery of care.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jinhee Lee, Pharm.D., Public Health 
Advisor, SAMHSA/Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 5600 Fishers 
Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Scope of Problem: Substance use/misuse and addiction represent a 
significant and substantial public health challenge. Data from the 2014 
National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reveal that an estimated 
27.0 million Americans aged 12 or older were currently illicit drug 
users (defined as using any of the following in the past 30 days: 
Marijuana/hashish, cocaine/crack, heroin, hallucinogens, inhalants, or 
non-medical use of prescription-type psychotherapeutics such as pain 
relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives) and 16.3 million 
were heavy drinkers (defined as drinking five or more drinks on the 
same occasion on five or more days in the past 30 days). Approximately 
6.5 million people aged 12 and older reported currently using 
psychotherapeutics non-medically.
    According to the 2014 NSDUH, 21.5 million Americans aged 12 or 
older had a substance use disorder in the past year. Among them, 14.4 
million Americans had dependence or abuse of alcohol but not illicit 
drugs, while another 4.5 million had dependence or abuse of illicit 
drugs but not alcohol, and 2.6 million had dependence or abuse of both 
alcohol and illicit drugs. People with alcohol or illicit drug 
dependence or abuse were defined in the 2014 NSDUH as meeting the 
diagnostic criteria specified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 
of Mental Disorders, Fourth edition (DSM-IV).
    The Affordable Care Act and new mental health parity protections 
are expanding mental health and substance abuse treatment benefits to 
60 million Americans. Despite this historic expansion of health 
insurance coverage and other advances, too many Americans are not 
benefiting from treatment services. Based on the 2014 NSDUH data, 
although 21.5 million people aged 12 or older met the DSM-IV criteria 
for alcohol or illicit drug dependence or abuse, only an estimated 2.3 
million received substance use treatment in the past year.
    Drug poisoning (overdose) was responsible for about 47,000 deaths 
in the U.S. in 2014 (now the latest year for which national data are 
available). Furthermore, substance misuse (to include excessive alcohol 
use) and related disorders contribute to injury and chronic illness, 
lost productivity, family disruptions, and increased transmission of 
sexually and injection-related infectious diseases; are associated with 
higher rates of domestic violence and child abuse; and prevent many 
individuals from realizing their full potential.
    Approach: The report's scope is intended to be broad and 
comprehensive, with the goal of capturing the current landscape of the 
impact of alcohol and drug issues on health, referencing data sources 
such as NSDUH, the Monitoring the Future Survey, the National 
Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, and the 
National Comorbidity Survey. These sources highlight trends over time 
as well as underscore the critical nature of this public health issue. 
The report is intended to: (1) Provide a comprehensive review of the 
research literature on substance use, addiction, and health, 
summarizing the science on substance misuse prevention, treatment, and 
recovery; (2) outline potential future direction; and (3) educate, 
encourage, and call upon all Americans to take action.
    Potential Areas of Focus: Areas of focus in the report may include 
the history of the prevention, treatment, and recovery fields; 
components of the substance use continuum (i.e., prevention, treatment, 
and recovery); epidemiology of substance use, misuse, and substance use 
disorders; etiology of substance misuse and related disorders; 
neurobiological base of substance misuse and related disorders; risk 
and protective factors; application of scientific research in the 
field, including methods, challenges, and current and future 
directions; social, economic, and health consequences of substance 
misuse; co-occurrence of substance use disorders and other diseases and 
disorders; the state of health care access and coverage as it relates 
to substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery; integration of 
substance use disorders, mental health, and physical health care in 
clinical settings; national, state, and local initiatives to assess and 
improve the quality of care for substance misuse and related disorders; 
organization and financing of prevention, treatment, and recovery 
services within the health care system; ethical, legal, and policy 
issues; and potential future directions.

Summer King,
Statistician.
[FR Doc. 2015-32929 Filed 12-30-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4162-20-P