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“SENATE RESOLUTION 685--DESIGNATING JUNE 26, 2022 AS THE ``INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST DRUG ABUSE AND ILLICIT TRAFFICKING''” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the in the Senate section section on pages S3033-S3034 on June 21.
The State Department is responsibly for international relations with a budget of more than $50 billion. Tenure at the State Dept. is increasingly tenuous and it's seen as an extension of the President's will, ambitions and flaws.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
SENATE RESOLUTION 685--DESIGNATING JUNE 26, 2022 AS THE ``INTERNATIONAL
DAY AGAINST DRUG ABUSE AND ILLICIT TRAFFICKING''
Mr. WHITEHOUSE (for himself, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Cornyn, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Risch, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Hawley, and Mr. Lujan) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:
S. Res. 685
Whereas the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
(referred to in this preamble as ``UNODC'') estimated that 275,000,000 individuals used illicit drugs worldwide in 2019, a 22 percent increase from 2010;
Whereas UNODC estimated that, globally, 36,300,000 individuals suffered from substance use disorders in 2019;
Whereas the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration reported that, in 2020, 37,300,000 individuals aged 12 or older had used an illicit drug in the United States in the past month, and 41,100,000 individuals aged 12 or older had needed substance abuse treatment in the past year;
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(referred to in this preamble as ``CDC'') estimated that more than 107,000 individuals died from drug overdoses in 2021;
Whereas, according to the CDC, synthetic drugs, such as fentanyl and methamphetamine, are among the primary drivers of overdose deaths in the United States;
Whereas CDC data indicates that drug overdose deaths have accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic;
Whereas the National Institute of Drug Abuse estimates that illicit drug use costs the United States $193,000,000,000 annually in healthcare costs, crime, and lost productivity;
Whereas the Drug Enforcement Administration reports that drug trafficking fuels the drug overdose epidemic in the United States and can lead to violence in communities throughout the country and the world;
Whereas the Department of State reports that the illicit drug trade can undermine the rule-of-law and fuel corruption; and
Whereas the United Nations General Assembly established June 26 as the ``International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking'': Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) encourages access to prevention, treatment, and recovery programs for individuals with substance use disorders, including access to medication-assisted treatment and telehealth services;
(2) commends the efforts of law enforcement agencies and officers to detect, curtail, and prevent drug trafficking and production domestically and internationally;
(3) applauds the work of law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges who work to connect individuals with a substance use disorders to treatment;
(4) supports research into treatments for substance use disorders;
(5) encourages greater international cooperation to dismantle drug trafficking organizations and transnational criminal organizations involved in the illicit drug trade;
(6) supports efforts to unravel financial networks that enable the illicit drug trade;
(7) calls on other United Nations Member States to mark the
``International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking''; and
(8) designates June 26, 2022 as the ``International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking''.
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