National Youth Substance Use Prevention Month, 2021

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National Youth Substance Use Prevention Month, 2021

A Proclamation

Far too many families across our Nation have been impacted by addiction and the overdose epidemic. In 2020, more than 93,000 people died from an overdose—93,000 families forced to bury a piece of their souls. The impact of this crisis echoes in communities across the Nation, in the empty chairs in classrooms and around kitchen tables. During National Youth Substance Use Prevention Month, we reaffirm our commitment to helping America's youth overcome this epidemic and lead healthy, fulfilling lives.

The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the need to provide more resources to address substance use disorder. Substance use disorder touches families in every community, and it is essential that we invest in a broad range of services, including prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery support services for mental health and substance use.

My Administration has been working to expand evidence-based prevention programs along with access to care and recovery support services. We are committed to preventing substance use among our Nation's youth—including alcohol, tobacco products, illicit drugs, and misused prescription medications—by bringing communities together to find local solutions. Through the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Drug-Free Communities Support Program helps equip community coalitions to reduce youth substance use at the local level. We must continue to encourage parents, caregivers, educators, and other members of the community to play an active role in promoting evidence-based prevention efforts that encourage healthy lifestyles, promote alternatives to substance use, and educate young people about the harms associated with substance use. We know that delaying substance use until after adolescence, when the brain has fully developed, decreases the likelihood of an individual developing a substance use disorder. We also know that smart investments in effective school-based prevention programs save lives and save our economy money in the form of averted medical costs and improved productivity.