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2021 SESSION

21104054D
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 281
Offered February 1, 2021
Commending the Commission on Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program.
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Patrons-- Wampler and Hope
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WHEREAS, for more than 35 years, the Commission on Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program has worked diligently to educate the public on the dangers of alcohol addiction and reduce the number of alcohol-related vehicle crashes; and

WHEREAS, the disease of addiction continues to devastate Virginia’s communities and remains a public health emergency that continues to pose a significant public health and safety threat to the Commonwealth, costing thousands of lives each year; and

WHEREAS, in addition to opioids and heroin, abuse of other dangerous substances, including alcohol, is on the rise, and the disease of addiction is not exclusive to any one substance; and

WHEREAS, in 1986, the General Assembly established the Commission on Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program to formulate and maintain standards to be observed by 24 local Alcohol Action Safety Programs (ASAP) throughout the Commonwealth and to allocate funds to programs with budget deficits; and

WHEREAS, the Commission on Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program is composed of members who offer a broad range of knowledge and experience to effectively administer the ASAP system; and

WHEREAS, the Commission on Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program has grown tremendously from its original status as a pilot program of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and now serves as a national model for other states; and

WHEREAS, alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic brain disorder that is characterized by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse social, occupational, or health consequences and often goes untreated; the number of individuals affected by alcoholism and AUD during the COVID-19 pandemic has risen significantly, and the dangers of excessive alcohol use should not be ignored; and

WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report states that excessive alcohol use caused approximately 93,000 deaths each year from 2011 to 2015, an average of 255 deaths per day; and

WHEREAS, the CDC reports that the annual average for Virginia alcohol-attributable deaths due to excessive alcohol use from 2011 to 2015 for all ages and all causes was 2,011; and

WHEREAS, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports that AUD was the most common substance use disorder among adults in the United States in 2018, affecting 14.4 million people; and

WHEREAS, alcoholism and AUD affect every community, and alcohol consumption is the third-leading cause of preventable death in the United States; research shows that, in 2018, only four percent of adults in the United States who needed treatment received it; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia ASAP has been dedicated to the improvement of highway safety, and the Commission on Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program is dedicated to implementing strategies and processes that result in a permanent change in behavior; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Commission on Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program hereby be commended for its 35 years of service to the Commonwealth; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Commission on Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program as an expression of the House of Delegates’ admiration for its life-saving work.