III 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 763 

Supporting the designation of October 2020 as ‘‘National Substance Abuse 

Prevention Month’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

OCTOBER 26 (legislative day, OCTOBER 19), 2020 

Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself and Mr. GRASSLEY) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 

Labor, and Pensions 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the designation of October 2020 as ‘‘National 

Substance Abuse Prevention Month’’. 

Whereas initiation of substance use during adolescence is associated with substance use and misuse in adulthood; 

Whereas, in 2019, more than 8,000,000 people in the United 

States aged 12 and older used a controlled substance for 

the first time; 

Whereas, in 2019, an estimated 35,000,000 people in the 

United States aged 12 and older used an illicit drug, including cocaine and methamphetamine; 

Whereas more than 20,000,000 people in the United States 

aged 12 and older had a substance use disorder in 2019, 

including more than 8,000,000 individuals who had an illicit drug use disorder; 


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•SRES 763 IS 

Whereas, in 2019, an estimated 4,200,000 people in the 

United States aged 12 and older received some form of 

substance use disorder treatment; 

Whereas, in 2019, an estimated 72,000 lives in the United 

States were lost to largely preventable drug overdoses; 

Whereas illicit drug use and the misuse of prescription 

opioids costs the United States $271,500,000,000 annually; 

Whereas Federal funding to prevent substance use and misuse was cut by nearly 34 percent between fiscal years 

2009 and 2020; 

Whereas every dollar invested in substance use and misuse 

prevention programs can provide a savings of up to $20 

in substance use and misuse treatment, health care, and 

criminal justice costs; 

Whereas Congress has sought to expand access to prevention, 

treatment, and recovery services through passage of, 

among other measures, the Comprehensive Addiction and 

Recovery Act of 2016 (Public Law 114–198; 130 Stat. 

695); 

Whereas substance use and misuse prevention and treatment 

organizations in the United States recognize October as 

‘‘National Substance Abuse Prevention Month’’; 

Whereas October 24, 2020, is the second anniversary of the 

enactment of the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention 

that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act (Public Law 115–271; 132 

Stat. 3894); and 

Whereas the ongoing COVID–19 pandemic has increased social isolation for many people in the United States, which 


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•SRES 763 IS 

can lead to a greater use and misuse of legal and illegal 

substances: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) supports effective programs to prevent sub3 stance use and misuse, including community-based 

4 prevention programs such as the Drug-Free Commu5 nities Support Program; 

6 (2) recognizes that certain substances are being 

7 misused at higher rates among adults during the 

8 COVID–19 pandemic, potentially due to the stress 

9 and social isolation associated with the public health 

10 emergency; 

11 (3) supports additional research and expanded 

12 access to effective programs to prevent substance 

13 use and misuse during the COVID–19 pandemic; 

14 (4) supports programs to help stem the drug 

15 addiction and overdose epidemic in the United 

16 States; and 

17 (5) supports the designation of October 2020 as 

18 ‘‘National Substance Abuse Prevention Month’’. 

Æ 


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