Message to the Congress Transmitting the National Drug Control Strategy

To the Congress of the United States:

I am pleased to transmit the 2022 National Drug Control Strategy. This inaugural Strategy proposes bold, targeted, and consequential actions to bend the curve on overdose deaths in the immediate term and reduce drug use and its damaging consequences over the longer term. These actions are based on the best science, evidence, and data available. Through them, we strive to usher in a new era of drug policy centered on individuals and communities.

This Strategy is the product of a rigorous process led by the Office of National Drug Control Policy in close collaboration with the 18 National Drug Control Agencies. In developing this Strategy, my Administration sought the input of more than 2,000 leaders and stakeholders including the entirety of the Congress; all 50 Governors; and advocates representing public safety, public health, community groups, local governments, and Tribal communities.

In my State of the Union Address, I identified addressing the opioid epidemic as part of a unity agenda for the Nation—something that could bring Americans together in service of a goal we all share. As this Strategy lays out, there is so much more we can do to expand access to evidence-based prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery services, while also working to reduce the supply of harmful drugs in our communities.

I look forward to working with the Congress as well as State, local, and Tribal leaders as we implement this Strategy. Together, we can create safer and healthier communities for everyone.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

President Joseph R. Biden

The White House