[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 122, 110th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
PROCLAMATION 8235--APR. 9, 2008

Proclamation 8235 of April 9, 2008
National D.A.R.E. Day, 2008
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
For 25 years, Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) has given
school children across America an opportunity to gain the skills they
need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs, and violence. On National
D.A.R.E. Day, we recognize those individuals who teach America's
children how to resist peer pressure and live productive, drug-free, and
violence-free lives.
Millions of our Nation's young people have learned about the dangerous
effects of drug abuse with the help of the D.A.R.E. program. Parents,
law enforcement officials, teachers, and counselors are on the front
lines of this effort and are sending our kids a clear message that drug
use is dangerous and unacceptable. In classrooms across the country,
police officers are answering students' tough questions about drugs and
crime and encouraging an open line of communication between students and
law enforcement.
My Administration is committed to reducing drug use among young people,
and we are working to cut the supply of drugs coming into our country
and fight demand here at home. Additionally, we are helping spread the
message of drug prevention through the National Youth Anti-Drug Media
Campaign and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. The Helping
America's Youth initiative, led by First Lady Laura Bush, is working
with community leaders to address challenges facing young people on a
daily basis. These and other efforts are helping to combat the
destructive cycle of drug addiction.
All Americans have a responsibility to encourage others to turn away
from drug abuse and to make good choices in life. During National
D.A.R.E. Day, we renew our commitment to providing our youth the
knowledge and encouragement they need to resist the pressures that can
lead them to experiment with drugs and violent activities. By working
together, we can help our children build lives of purpose and strengthen
our communities, one heart and one soul at a time.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, 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 April 10, 2008, as
National D.A.R.E. Day. I urge all young people to make right choices and
call upon all Americans to recognize our collective respon





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sibility to combat every form of drug abuse and to support all those who
work to help our children avoid drug use and violence.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this ninth day of April,
in the year of our Lord two thousand eight, and of the Independence of
the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-second.
GEORGE W. BUSH