[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 192 (Wednesday, October 5, 2022)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 60259-60260]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-21788]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 192 / Wednesday, October 5, 2022 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 60259]]


                Proclamation 10463 of September 30, 2022

                
National Youth Substance Use Prevention Month, 
                2022

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                During National Youth Substance Use Prevention Month, 
                we rededicate ourselves to transforming the lives of 
                America's youth through prevention. We commit to 
                building and supporting communities where young 
                Americans can live healthy and fulfilling lives, free 
                from the dangers of substance use, laying the 
                groundwork for strong future generations.

                Our country has been battered by twin crises in recent 
                years: an overdose epidemic and COVID-19. Last year, a 
                record 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses, 
                ripping a hole in families across every community in 
                the Nation. More than a thousand of those who died were 
                teenagers--sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, and 
                friends who still had their whole lives ahead of them. 
                We cannot let that continue. My Administration is 
                drawing on evidence-based strategies to prevent 
                substance use and to intervene early so we can help 
                keep America's young people healthy and safe. We are 
                supporting programs that teach young people about the 
                risks of drug and alcohol use--including the dangers of 
                illicit fentanyl and counterfeit pills--and about the 
                life-saving power of naloxone.

                Preventing substance use during adolescence has been 
                shown to significantly reduce the chance of developing 
                a substance use disorder later in life. For every 
                dollar we spend today on effective school-based 
                prevention programs, we save $18 in the future by 
                avoiding potential medical costs and boosting 
                productivity on the job. Prevention programs also make 
                young people less likely to one day have children who 
                use substances, highlighting the far-reaching value 
                these efforts have across generations.

                Americans can all agree that this work is critical--
                irrespective of their political party affiliation. That 
                is why I made beating the opioid epidemic--our Nation's 
                most deadly drug use crisis--a pillar of the bipartisan 
                Unity Agenda that I unveiled in this year's State of 
                the Union. I know that together, with resources and 
                smart policy, we can overcome it. Last year, we 
                invested nearly $4 billion in American Rescue Plan 
                funds to expand mental health and substance use 
                services and to help school districts increase the 
                number of social workers on staff by as much as 54 
                percent. My Fiscal Year 2023 budget proposes $3.1 
                billion in National Drug Control funding for 
                prevention, nearly $850 million more than last year. We 
                have already provided more than $120 billion for 
                quality tutoring, mental health, and afterschool 
                programs. We are supporting Drug-Free Communities 
                coalitions in all 50 States, giving local communities 
                the tools and resources to address their own youth 
                substance use issues in ways that are culturally 
                appropriate. We are working to ensure that States 
                leverage Medicaid funding to support schools providing 
                mental health and substance use care to our youth. We 
                are also working to ensure full parity between physical 
                and mental health care so all Americans have access to 
                quality, affordable care, including for substance use.

                This month, I call on everyone--parents, siblings, 
                friends, neighbors, teachers, community members, and 
                more--to reach out to the young people in their lives 
                to share information, promote healthy lifestyles, and 
                help transform lives through evidence-based substance 
                use prevention. We thank every

[[Page 60260]]

                individual and every organization working on the front 
                lines to prevent youth substance use. And we renew our 
                commitment to building a healthier and more supportive 
                Nation where all young people can reach their full 
                potential and achieve their dreams. I will never quit 
                fighting to get everyone the support and resources 
                needed to beat this crisis. No one is ever alone.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., 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 2022 
                as National Youth Substance Use Prevention Month. Let 
                us all take action to implement practice and evidence-
                based prevention strategies and improve the health of 
                our Nation.

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

[FR Doc. 2022-21788
Filed 10-4-22; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P