[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 125, 112th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 8728 of October 3, 2011

National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, 2011
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
By providing strong support systems for our loved ones, and by talking
with our children about the dangers of alcohol and other drugs, we can
increase their chances of living long, healthy, and productive lives.
During National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, we celebrate those
dedicated to prevention efforts, and we renew our commitment to the
well-being of all Americans.
The damage done by drugs is felt far beyond the millions of Americans
with diagnosable substance abuse or dependence problems--countless
families and communities also live with the pain and heartbreak it
causes. Relationships are destroyed, crime and violence blight
communities, and dreams are shattered. Substance abuse touches every
sector of our society, straining our health care and criminal justice
systems.
For all these reasons, my Administration has made prevention a central
component of our National Drug Control Strategy, and we have developed
the first-ever National Prevention Strategy. These strategies, inspired
by the thousands of drug-free coalitions across our country, recognize
the power of community-based prevention organizations, and suggest that
prevention activities are most effective when informed by science,
driven by State and local partnerships, and tuned to the specific needs
of a community.

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By investing in evidence-based prevention, we can also decrease
emergency room visits and lower rates of chronic disease, easing the
burden on America's health care system. We can improve student
achievement and workforce readiness. Most importantly, we must continue
to support the efforts of parents and guardians, our children's first
teachers and role models, whose positive influence is the most effective
deterrent to alcohol and other drug use and the strongest influence for
making health choices.
Through national collaboration, community programs, and the help of
engaged youth, parents, guardians, educators, law enforcement officers,
clergy, and others, we can build a stronger, healthier America. This
month and throughout the year, let us teach our Nation's young people to
tackle life's challenges with resilience, hope, and determination.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, 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 2011 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.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this third day of
October, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
sixth.
BARACK OBAMA