[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 228 (Monday, November 25, 1996)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 59803-59804]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-30201]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 228 / Monday, November 25, 1996 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 59803]]
Proclamation 6957 of November 21, 1996
National Great American Smokeout Day, 1996
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Every day, nearly 3,000 young Americans become regular
smokers, falling victim to negative influences and
provocative advertisements and putting themselves at
risk of diseases caused by nicotine addiction. Nearly
1,000 of these children will die prematurely and be
among the more than 400,000 Americans who lose their
lives to tobacco-related illnesses each year. Smoking
is the single greatest cause of preventable illness and
premature death in our society. The use of tobacco is
responsible for nearly one in five deaths in the United
States, and we anticipate that, unless smoking rates
decline immediately, more than 5 million people under
the age of 18 today will die from a smoking-related
disease. For a country so deeply devoted to the
protection of our children, such numbers are a national
tragedy.
Recognizing the urgent need to reverse these
devastating statistics, my Administration has announced
tough, unprecedented measures to limit children's
access to tobacco products and to reduce tobacco's
appeal to children. In support of these efforts, I am
pleased to join the millions of caring citizens who are
observing the ``Great American Smokeout,'' an annual,
nationwide effort to help millions of Americans give up
tobacco and to raise awareness of nicotine addiction
and the deadly risks associated with tobacco use.
Twenty years ago the American Cancer Society organized
the first nationwide Great American Smokeout. Through
the Society's leadership, the event has helped millions
of Americans to stop smoking by proving to them that,
if they can quit for a day, they can quit for a
lifetime. In recent years the focus of the Great
American Smokeout has broadened to include efforts to
help our young people understand that they should never
start smoking in the first place.
Since the inception of the Great American Smokeout, the
smoking rate of American adults has dropped from 36
percent to 25 percent. Nonetheless, tobacco use
continues to take an unacceptable toll. This year,
177,000 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed.
Moreover, even as the number of adult smokers has
declined, the use of tobacco among children is rising.
On this 20th anniversary of the Smokeout, local offices
of the American Cancer Society are hosting a variety of
events, including the Great American SmokeScream for
middle school students, the Great American Smokeout
Pledge for high school students, and the launching of
an exciting and interactive Internet web page for
teenagers.
The Great American Smokeout is an opportunity for all
Americans to renew their commitment to a smoke-free
environment for themselves and particularly for their
children. Working together on this day and every day
throughout the year, we can create a brighter,
healthier future for all Americans--young and old.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United
States, do hereby proclaim November 21, 1996, as
National Great American Smokeout Day. I call upon all
Americans to
[[Page 59804]]
join together in an effort to educate our children
about the dangers of tobacco use, and I urge smokers
and nonsmokers alike to take this opportunity to begin
healthier lifestyles that set a positive example for
young people.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-first day of November, in the year of our Lord
nineteen hundred and ninety-six, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and twenty-first.
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 96-30201
Filed 11-22-96; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P
