[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]


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                         Presidential Documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 228 / Monday, November 25, 1996 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 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