National Poison Prevention Week, 2018

Proclamation 9706 of March 16, 2018

National Poison Prevention Week, 2018

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Poisoning remains the leading cause of injury death in
the United States. By taking the proper precautions and
preparing for emergency situations, however, we can
ensure our families and our communities avoid poisoning
tragedies. During National Poison Prevention Week, we
strive to reduce the frequency of poisoning deaths and
educate ourselves about how to prevent accidental
poisoning.

Since 2000, the rate of accidental drug-poisoning
deaths has more than quadrupled. Accidental poisoning
due to drug overdose has taken immense tolls on
families all across the country, and synthetic opioids
continue to push the death count higher. In 2016 alone,
we lost 116 people per day from opioid-related drug
overdoses.

To address this devastating epidemic, I have mobilized
my entire Administration to combat drug addiction and
opioid abuse. In October 2017, my Administration
declared the opioid addiction crisis a national public
health emergency. My 2018 Budget proposes $3 billion in
new funding this year to combat the opioid epidemic,
including through providing additional support for
mental health initiatives.

My Administration has also led multiple national ``Take
Back Day'' events, during which Americans have had the
opportunity to safely dispose of unneeded prescription
medications, preventing them from falling into the
wrong hands. During the most recent event last October,
the Drug Enforcement Administration collected 456 tons
of prescription drugs for disposal at more than 5,300
collection sites. We will continue to champion these
initiatives, which help prevent future tragedies from
accidental poisonings and drug overdoses.

This week, and every week, we warn all Americans about
unintended exposure to poisons, so that we can reduce
risks and prevent injuries and lost lives. We all can
do our part by ensuring the products we bring into our
homes, including medications, cleaning supplies,
laundry detergents, small batteries, and other
chemicals, are stored out of sight and out of reach of
children. Accidental poisonings are preventable, and we
must recommit ourselves to taking the necessary actions
to protect our families, and improve the health, well-
being, and prosperity of our Nation as a whole.

To encourage Americans to learn more about the dangers
of unintentional poisonings and to take appropriate
preventative measures, on September 26, 1961, the
Congress, by joint resolution (75 Stat. 681),
authorized and requested the President to issue a
proclamation designating the third week of March each
year as ``National Poison Prevention Week.''

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the
United States of America, do hereby proclaim March 18,
2018, through March 24, 2018, to be National Poison
Prevention Week. I call upon all Americans to observe
this week by taking actions to safeguard their families
from poisonous products, chemicals, and medicines, and
drugs found in our homes, and to raise awareness of
these dangers in order to prevent accidental injuries
and deaths.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
sixteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord two
thousand eighteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
second.