Briefings & Statements
Presidential Message on Overdose and Drug Poisoning Awareness Week
The White House
August 24, 2026
During Overdose and Drug Poisoning Awareness Week, our Nation renews its resolve to defeat the scourge of illicit drugs and synthetic poisons that have devastated hundreds of thousands of American lives. My Administration is relentlessly confronting this threat at every source, and we will always put our national security and the safety, health, and well-being of the American People first.
When I returned to office, I vowed to stop the flow of fentanyl and other deadly drugs into our country, and my Administration immediately took action. We created the Homeland Security Task Force to bring together all federal, state and local partners to achieve the national policy goal of eliminating the cartel presence in America once and for all. By doing so, my Administration secured our southern border and began dismantling fentanyl supply chains at every link, from the narco-terrorist cartels and gangs that traffic these deadly drugs to the foreign suppliers that enable them. I proudly signed the HALT Fentanyl Act, permanently classifying fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs, ensuring dealers and traffickers will receive the maximum force of the law. I designated fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction and the worst cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, unleashing our national security resources against this attack on American soil. I have also directed military forces to conduct strikes on dozens of narcotrafficking boats to disrupt the flow of maritime supply routes. As a result, fentanyl deaths dropped 22 percent in a single year, total drug overdose deaths fell 14 percent, and thousands of American lives have been saved.
The strength of our country rests upon the health of its people, and my Administration is restoring hope in every community touched by addiction. Earlier this year, I launched the Great American Recovery Initiative, uniting government, healthcare, faith communities, and the private sector behind one mission of prevention, treatment, and recovery. This program is making proven treatments more accessible, supporting Americans and families on the road to recovery, and giving every person the opportunity to build a healthy and hopeful future.
This week, we remember every American lost to overdose and drug poisoning, stand with the families who carry their memory, and support all those working to overcome addiction. Above all, we vow to end the devastation wrought by deadly drugs and build a stronger, healthier, and safer America.
