[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 38 (Monday, September 20, 2004)]
[Pages 1949-1950]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7809--National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, 
2004

 September 10, 2004

 By the President of the United States

 of America

 A Proclamation

    Across our country, millions of Americans suffer from the 
debilitating effects of alcohol and drug abuse. Substance abuse shatters 
lives, divides families, and robs people of their promise and potential.
    My Administration is confronting these dangers. We are pursuing an 
ambitious, focused strategy to cut demand for drugs at home, disrupt 
supplies abroad, and ensure that citizens living with addiction get the 
treatment they need. We have made progress in fighting substance abuse, 
but there is more to do.
    One of the worst decisions our children can make is to endanger 
their lives and their futures with alcohol or drugs. My Administration 
is addressing this problem with a strategy of education, treatment, and 
law enforcement. We also support random student drug testing as a 
prevention tool. We are seeing the results of all of these efforts, as 
more of our young people are also choosing to avoid alcohol and drugs. 
Drug use among youth has declined by 11 percent from 2001 to 2003.
    My Administration is committed to expanding the choice of service 
providers for those struggling with addiction. We recognize the success 
of faith-based and community approaches in which caring citizens join 
together to offer alternatives to traditional

[[Page 1950]]

treatment, helping people change habits by changing their hearts. 
Through the Access to Recovery initiative, we have provided an 
additional $100 million in new grants this year to expand options for 
substance abuse treatment and recovery support services through 
vouchers, which allow individuals to choose the services that best meet 
their recovery needs. In my 2005 budget, I have proposed doubling 
funding for this initiative to further expand treatment. In total, I 
have requested $3.7 billion for drug treatment and research programs for 
2005, an increase of about 25 percent since 2001.
    The struggle against substance abuse is a community effort, and this 
month is an opportunity to further raise awareness and support the fight 
against the destructive cycle of addiction. I call on all Americans to 
make responsible and healthy choices so that everyone can realize the 
great promise of our Nation.
    Now, Therefore, I, George W. Bush, President of the United States of 
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and 
laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 2004 as National 
Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. I call upon the people of the 
United States to observe this month with appropriate programs, 
ceremonies, and activities.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of 
September, in the year of our Lord two thousand four, and of the 
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
ninth.
                                                George W. Bush

 [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 9:09 a.m., September 
14, 2004]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on 
September 15. This item was not received in time for publication in the 
appropriate issue.