III 116th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 763 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; 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 can lead to a greater use and misuse of legal and illegal substances: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1) supports effective programs to prevent substance use and misuse, including community-based prevention programs such as the Drug-Free Communities Support Program; (2) recognizes that certain substances are being misused at higher rates among adults during the COVID–19 pandemic, potentially due to the stress and social isolation associated with the public health emergency; (3) supports additional research and expanded access to effective programs to prevent substance use and misuse during the COVID–19 pandemic; (4) supports programs to help stem the drug addiction and overdose epidemic in the United States; and (5) supports the designation of October 2020 as National Substance Abuse Prevention Month .