BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
During this National Substance Use Primary Prevention Month, we reaffirm our commitment to shielding our children, families, and communities from the destructive impact of illicit drugs by preventing addiction from taking root.
Substance abuse is one of the most severe challenges facing our nation, affecting communities, breaking families, and ending promising lives. Our youth are particularly targeted and vulnerable, easily influenced at a young age into a dangerous cycle of dependency. Each young life lost to this crisis is a future stolen from our collective story, a sorrow that resonates through homes and communities.
My Administration has tackled this crisis with steadfast determination to safeguard American lives. I have signed the HALT Fentanyl Act into law, ensuring fentanyl-related substances are permanently classified as Schedule I drugs, and have labeled nearly a dozen cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. Our southern border is now the most secure in history, preventing the influx of illegal immigrants, deadly drugs, and criminal traffickers from entering our communities. These measures disrupt the flow of harmful substances to our streets and schools, creating a strong defense against substance abuse.
Preventing drug use from the outset is crucial to saving families from the debilitating effects of addiction. For the first time in our nation’s history, the 2026 National Drug Control Strategy centers on quality, evidence-based prevention, bringing together schools, communities, and places of worship in a unified effort. While others distribute needles, my Administration is focused on cleaning up our streets and preemptively stopping addiction. Education through trusted figures—such as parents, teachers, coaches, pastors, and neighbors—serves as a powerful deterrent against substance abuse, reaching young individuals before drug dealers do. Student drug abstention rates have reached unprecedented levels through this significant initiative, marking a vital success in our mission to protect young Americans.
America’s youth represent the limitless potential of our nation, a new generation of leaders ready to uphold our Republic and continue the timeless principles of faith, family, and freedom. We urge every family, school, and community to dedicate themselves to developing strong, intelligent, and resilient citizens. Together, we will nurture a healthy, assured, and purposeful generation free from substance abuse, ensuring an even brighter future for our nation.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby declare August 2026 as National Substance Use Primary Prevention Month. I urge all Americans to unite in the critical mission of preventing drug use before it begins, so our children can live fulfilling lives free from addiction. By preventing drug use at its source, we will safeguard our youth, strengthen families, fortify communities, and build a drug-free future for all.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twelfth day of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fifty-first.
DONALD J. TRUMP
