Fighting Drugs Through Prevention
In 2011, President Obama issued the first-ever Presidential Proclamation designating October as National Substance Abuse Prevention Month. The tradition will continue in 2013, as parents, youth, schools, businesses, and community leaders across the country join in this month long observance of the role that substance abuse prevention plays in promoting safe and healthy communities.
- View the President’s 2013 National Substance Abuse Prevention Month Proclamation
- View the National Substance Abuse Prevention Month save-the-date flyer
The month provides an important opportunity to pay tribute to the tragic losses attributed to substance abuse. The video message from Director Kerlikowske below provides ONDCP’s perspective on Prevention Month.
The President’s plan promotes the expansion of national and community-based programs that reach young people in schools, on college campuses, and in the workplace with tailored information to help them make healthy decisions about their future.
The Administration’s drug policy reflects this understanding by emphasizing prevention and access to treatment over incarceration, pursuing “smart on crime” rather than “tough on crime” approaches to drug-related offenses, and providing support for early health interventions designed to break the cycle of drug use, crime, incarceration, and re-arrest.
