[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 193 (Thursday, October 4, 2018)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 50249-50250]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-21817]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 83 , No. 193 / Thursday, October 4, 2018 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 50249]]


                Proclamation 9795 of September 28, 2018

                
National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, 2018

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                During National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, we 
                recognize the importance of ending and preventing 
                substance abuse. We must remain vigilant in raising 
                awareness about the harms posed by alcohol and drugs, 
                including prescription opioids, and their high 
                potential for addiction. We can--and we must--provide 
                families with the information, skills, and resources to 
                stay safe and strong. As a Nation, we renew our 
                commitment to improving individual and community health 
                through increased education on the risks of substance 
                abuse. Our investment in prevention will help to 
                further yield improved academic performance, healthier 
                lifestyles, more successful citizens, and safer 
                communities.

                Our country is reeling from the enormity of an opioid 
                epidemic that has resulted in huge numbers of overdose 
                fatalities, an influx of children in foster care, and 
                too many families forever changed by the addiction or 
                death of a loved one. In 2017 alone, it is estimated 
                that we lost approximately 72,000 Americans to an 
                overdose, and approximately 49,000 of those deaths 
                involved an opioid. Fueled by prescription pain 
                medications, heroin, and illicit fentanyl, the severity 
                of the current addiction crisis requires immediate 
                action. We must go beyond simply raising awareness 
                about the harms and risks of illicit drugs, which is 
                one reason why, last October, my Administration 
                declared a nationwide Public Health Emergency to 
                continue comprehensively and proactively fighting the 
                opioid epidemic on every front.

                My Administration is committed to helping overcome 
                addiction in our country. This past June, we launched a 
                public awareness campaign directed toward our Nation's 
                vulnerable young people, helping them ``know the 
                truth'' and ``spread the truth'' about the risks of 
                opioid abuse. In August, we awarded a record-breaking 
                $90.9 million to 731 Drug-Free Communities coalitions 
                across all 50 States to help prevent youth drug abuse. 
                We are also encouraging adult individuals and family 
                members to share their personal stories on how this 
                epidemic has affected them through platforms such as 
                The Crisis Next Door. Launched by the White House 
                earlier this year, this initiative is helping to remove 
                harmful stigmas surrounding opioid abuse and showing 
                that this crisis can affect anyone from anywhere.

                This month, we reaffirm our commitment to helping 
                educate our loved ones on the devastating effects 
                substance abuse can have on our families, our 
                communities, and our Nation. I call on parents, 
                educators, mentors, employers, healthcare 
                professionals, law enforcement officials, faith and 
                community leaders, and Americans to support evidence-
                based prevention programs. Through our united advocacy 
                and awareness efforts on the horrific dangers of 
                substance abuse, we can cultivate a society focused on 
                health, wellness, and prosperity.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim October 2018 as 
                National Substance Abuse Prevention Month. I call upon 
                all Americans to engage in appropriate programs and 
                activities to promote comprehensive substance abuse 
                prevention efforts within their communities.

[[Page 50250]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-eighth day of September, in the year of our Lord 
                two thousand eighteen, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                third.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2018-21817
Filed 10-3-18; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F9-P