[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 118, 108th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

Proclamation 7809 of September 10, 2004


 
National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, 2004


By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Across our country, millions of Americans suffer from the debilitating
effects of alcohol and drug abuse. Substance abuse shatters lives,
divides families, and robs people of their promise and potential.
My Administration is confronting these dangers. We are pursuing an
ambitious, focused strategy to cut demand for drugs at home, disrupt
supplies abroad, and ensure that citizens living with addiction get the
treatment they need. We have made progress in fighting substance abuse,
but there is more to do.
One of the worst decisions our children can make is to endanger their
lives and their futures with alcohol or drugs. My Administration is
addressing this problem with a strategy of education, treatment, and law
enforcement. We also support random student drug testing as a prevention
tool. We are seeing the results of all of these efforts, as more of our
young people are also choosing to avoid alcohol and drugs. Drug use
among youth has declined by 11 percent from 2001 to 2003.
My Administration is committed to expanding the choice of service
providers for those struggling with addiction. We recognize the success
of faith-based and community approaches in which caring citizens join
together to offer alternatives to traditional treatment, helping people
change habits by changing their hearts. Through the Access to Recovery
initiative, we have provided an additional $100 million in new grants
this year to expand options for substance abuse treatment and recovery
support services through vouchers, which allow individuals to choose the
services that best meet their recovery needs. In my 2005 budget, I have
proposed doubling funding for this initiative to further expand
treatment. In total, I have requested $3.7 billion for drug treatment
and research programs for 2005, an increase of about 25 percent since
2001.
The struggle against substance abuse is a community effort, and this
month is an opportunity to further raise awareness and support the fight
against the destructive cycle of addiction. I call on all Americans to
make responsible and healthy choices so that everyone can realize the
great promise of our Nation.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 2004 as National
Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. I call upon the people of the
United States to observe this month with appropriate programs,
ceremonies, and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of
September, in the year of our Lord two thousand four, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
ninth.
GEORGE W. BUSH
PROCLAMATION 7810--SEPT. 10, 2004

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