[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 132, 115th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
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 evi

[[Page 5858]]

dence-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.
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.
DONALD J. TRUMP