[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book II)]
[August 9, 2000]
[Page 1590]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement on the Surgeon General's Report on Tobacco
August 9, 2000

    A new report today by the Surgeon General demonstrating that we can 
cut tobacco use in half over the next decade lends strong new impetus to 
our fight against the dangers of cigarette smoking. Over 400,000 
Americans die every year from tobacco-related diseases. Every day, 3,000 
children under the age of 18 start smoking, and 1,000 will have their 
lives cut short as a result. Today's report not only underscores the 
urgency of reducing tobacco use--the single leading cause of preventable 
death and disease in the United States--but also provides powerful 
scientific evidence about the wide range of effective tools available to 
get the job done.
    Vice President Gore and I have worked hard to protect our Nation's 
children from the dangers of tobacco. Today I again urge Congress to 
provide FDA with the authority to protect our Nation's children and to 
fund my budget initiatives to reduce youth smoking. I also call on 
Congress to support the Department of Justice lawsuit to recover the 
taxpayer costs of tobacco-related illness by holding the tobacco 
industry accountable for the harm it has caused. When Congress returns 
in September, it will have another opportunity to join us in making the 
health of our children a priority by rejecting the interests of big 
tobacco and letting the American taxpayers have their day in court.
    Today's report also reinforces the importance of comprehensive State 
tobacco control efforts, which have demonstrated powerful results in 
reducing tobacco use in leading States. I renew my call for more States 
to use the resources available from the State tobacco settlement on 
efforts to reduce smoking among our young people.