President Biden issues proclamation for overdose awareness week

President Biden issued the first ever Presidential Proclamation recognizing August 29, 2021 – September 4, 2021 as Overdose Awareness Week – a time to honor the lives lost to the overdose epidemic and recommit to both preventing overdoses and supporting individuals with substance use disorder.
 
In the Proclamation, President Biden reaffirmed his Administration’s commitment to implementing a strong response to the overdose epidemic and expanding access to evidence-based prevention, treatment and harm reduction efforts, reducing youth substance use, reducing the supply of illicit substances, advancing recovery-ready workplaces, and expanding the addiction workforce and access to recovery support services for all Americans in need of these services:
 
“The overdose epidemic has taken a toll on far too many Americans and their loved ones.  Addiction is a disease that touches families in every community, including my own.  The epidemic is national, but the impact is personal.  It is personal to the millions who confront substance use disorder every day, and to the families who have lost loved ones to an overdose.”
 
Read the full Presidential Proclamation here.

For more about the Biden-Harris Administration’s comprehensive approach to the overdose and addiction crisis, please click HERE.