September 2024: Recovery Month

WHEREAS, substance use disorder is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences to the individual and to those in their environment. Substance use disorder is classified as a brain disease due to the changes in the structure and function of the brain as a result of drug and alcohol misuse; and,

WHEREAS, the United States is in the middle of an opioid epidemic, with opioid overdoses killing nearly 82,000 people in 2022. The preliminary 2023 data reported a nearly 9% decrease to about 74,000 overdose deaths involving opioids; and,

WHEREAS, substance use disorders cost Americans more than $740 billion annually in costs related to crime, lost work productivity, and health care; and,

WHEREAS, in the long term, substance use disorder may lead to mental and physical effects such as paranoia, psychosis, immune deficiencies, and organ damage that will require treatment to resolve; and,

WHEREAS, in 2022, nearly 1 in 3 (or 319,000) young adults ages 18 to 25 reported current use of marijuana in Michigan; and,

WHEREAS,in 2022, most publicly funded substance abuse treatment admissions among youth ages 12 to 17 reported marijuana as the primary substance of useand 54,000 (7.1% ) youth statewide ages 12 to 17 reported current marijuana use; and,

WHEREAS,in 2022, 15.8% of veterans in Michigan were identified as having a substance use disorder in the past year; and,

WHEREAS, in2022, nearly 1 in 5 (or 1.7 million) people ages 12 and older in Michigan used illicit drugs in the previous month, when surveyed; and,

WHEREAS, in 2022, more than 1.5 million individuals ages 12 and older in Michigan met the criteria for having a substance use disorder, which is 17.5% of the population; and,

WHEREAS, in 2022, more than 1.1 million (17.7% ) non-Hispanic white Michiganders residents had a substance use disorder; 206,000 (18.4% ) non-Hispanic Black Michigan residents had a substance use disorder; and 71,000 (13.7%) non-Hispanic, other or multiple races had a substance use disorder, and 89,000 (20%) Hispanic Michigan residents had a substance use disorder; and,

WHEREAS,in 2022, 2,998 drug overdose deaths in Michigan were recorded and 81% were related to opioids. Preliminary data show 2,698 overdose deaths in 2023, an 11.1% decrease; and,

WHEREAS,like other chronic and relapsing diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, or heart disease, substance use disorder can be managed successfully; and,

WHEREAS,support for telehealth services has enabled thousands of Michigan residents to engage safely in substance use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery support services that would have otherwise been inaccessible; and,

WHEREAS, organizations across the state have distributed more than 952,100 doses of naloxone since 2020, and harm reduction services promote a pathway to safety and recovery for individuals and communities; and,

WHEREAS,a person's treatment and recovery is built on their strengths, talents, coping abilities, resources, and inherent values. It addresses the whole person (asked preparer to to provide missing words) and their community, and is supported by peers, friends, and family members; and,

WHEREAS, during this month, we join with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and community networks to celebrate recovery and raise awareness of recovery-oriented systems of care working to prevent and treat substance use disorders in our state;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, do hereby proclaim September 2024 as Recovery Month in Michigan.

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