    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 17 (Monday, April 28, 1997)]
    [Pages 581-582]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Statement Announcing an Appeal of the District Court Decision on Tobacco
    Regulations

    April 25, 1997

        This is a historic and landmark day for the Nation's health and
    children. With this ruling, we can regulate tobacco products and protect
    our children from a lifetime of addiction and the prospect of having
    their lives cut short by the diseases that come with that addiction.
    This is a monumental first step in what we always knew would be a long,
    tough road, and we are ready to keep pushing on.
        This is a fight for the health and lives of our children. 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 smoking. This is a
    fight we cannot afford to lose. It is a fight we cannot afford to stop
    waging. The Vice President and I are committed to protecting our
    children.
        Our commonsense approach is aimed at limiting the appeal of these
    products and making it harder for children to buy them. Retailers have
    the responsibility to make certain that they are not selling tobacco
    products to anyone under 18. Asking them for a photo ID is just plain
    common sense. Keeping tobacco billboards away from schools and
    playgrounds is just plain common sense.
        Senior attorneys from the Department of Justice, the Department of
    Health and Human Services, and the Food and Drug Administration have
    carefully reviewed the District Court's opinion. On the basis of that
    review, the Solicitor General has informed me that an appeal would be
    appropriate for that part of the rule not upheld, and I have directed
    that an appeal be filed.
        We will continue to work to protect our children and our children's
    children. We will not stop until we succeed. Where our children's health
    and safety are concerned, we cannot, and we will not, rest.

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