    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book I)]
    [May 2, 1997]
    [Pages 537-538]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on the Department of Justice Appeal of the District Court
    Decision on Tobacco Regulation
    May 2, 1997

        Today the Department of Justice filed a notice in the Greensboro
    U.S. District Court appealing the part of Judge Osteen's order that
    invalidated the Food and Drug Administration's tobacco advertising
    restrictions. The Department is asking for an expedited appeal, because
    every day of delay matters to our children's health. Each day, 3,000
    children and young people become regular smokers, and 1,000 of them will
    have their lives cut short as a result of their smoking. And this
    problem of youth tobacco use is getting worse. The percentage of 8th and
    10th graders who smoke has risen for 4 consecutive years. The FDA's
    commonsense access and advertising restrictions would reverse this
    trend. We will continue to work to protect our children from tobacco,
    and we will not stop until we succeed.

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