[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 32, Number 47 (Monday, November 25, 1996)]
[Pages 2422-2423]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 6957--National Great American Smokeout Day, 1996

November 21, 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 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.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., November 22, 
1996]

[[Page 2423]]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on 
November 25.