National Youth Substance Use Prevention Month, 2024

Proclamation 10828 of September 30, 2024

National Youth Substance Use Prevention Month,
2024

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

America's young people are the future of our Nation.
Each of them deserves the opportunity to thrive and
reach their full potential. This National Youth
Substance Use Prevention Month, we recommit to
providing all youth with the resources and support they
need to lead healthy lives and achieve their dreams.

Addressing the opioid and overdose epidemic is a key
priority of my Unity Agenda. Preventing substance use
before it starts is a crucial part of a comprehensive
approach to addressing the overdose crisis.

That is why, as President, I am taking bold action to
help schools, families, and communities to prevent
youth substance use and improve the well-being of our
Nation's youth. Through the Bipartisan Safer
Communities Act, my Administration made the largest
investment in youth mental health ever, including $1
billion of funding to train and hire new school based
mental health professionals across the country. We are
supporting substance use prevention training for school
administrators and counselors and improving mental
health and substance use screening tools so students
can get the health services they need. We have also
made it easier for schools to leverage Medicaid to
deliver mental health and substance use care to
millions of children and youth. And we are engaging
youth as partners to develop and strengthen community
strategies for youth to better educate and support
their peers, working toward our shared goal of getting
ahead of substance use before it starts.

Over the past 3 years, we have made historic
investments in strengthening local youth prevention and
public awareness campaigns across the country. Through
our Drug-Free Communities Support Program, we are
implementing prevention efforts in all 50 States,
significantly reducing youth substance use in these
communities. Further, my Administration launched a
social media campaign to educate youth on the dangers
of fentanyl and the life-saving effects of opioid
overdose reversal medications. We also used this
prevention content to prepare classroom resources for
middle and high school students. Together, we are
emboldening our Nation's youth with the knowledge and
tools they need to make informed and empowered
decisions.

We are also taking aggressive action to reduce the
supply of illicit drugs before they hit our streets.
Under my leadership, Federal law enforcement is keeping
more deadly drugs out of our communities than ever
before by stopping illicit fentanyl at ports of entry,
prosecuting thousands of drug traffickers, sanctioning
individuals and organizations involved in the global
illicit drug trade, and engaging globally to disrupt
drug trafficking organizations.

We have made immense progress in preventing the use and
misuse of substances and preventing youth from
developing substance use disorders. We are mobilizing
communities to take action and stay informed, providing
historic amounts of funding to prevent substance use
and overdose, and focusing on what works--evidence-
based policies, strategies, and programs.

Together with youth, parents, mentors, and leaders from
all sectors of communities around our great Nation, we
are working to ensure every young person is nurtured in
a safe, supportive, thriving environment. But to
improve the lives of youth impacted by substance use
and honor all the young lives tragically lost to an
overdose, we can and must do more. This month, we
recommit to fulfilling our Nation's duty to leave no
one behind and extend support to those who need it.
America's youth deserve nothing less than our
unwavering commitment to their well-being.

If you are struggling with substance use or just need
someone to talk to, speak to a loved one or health care
provider, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration's National Helpline at 1-800-
662-HELP or visit FindSupport.gov. If you or someone
you love is experiencing a mental health or substance
use crisis, you can call or text 988, or visit
988lifeline.org for free, confidential crisis support.

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 2024
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-four, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
ninth.