Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 100 Part 5.djvu/1023

 PROCLAMATION 5537—OCT. 6, 1986

100 STAT. 4497

and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this event. NOW, THEREFORE, I, RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 4, 1986, as National Outreach to the Rural Disabled Day. I encourage all Americans to help bring attention to unmet needs of disabled persons in their communities and to underscore the potential of these disabled persons by observing the day with appropriate activities in their communities. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and eleventh. RONALD REAGAN Proclamation 5537 of October 6, 1986

National Drug Abuse Education and Prevention Week and National Drug Abuse Education Day, 1986 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Drug abuse is a veritable plague that enslaves its victims, saps their health, turns their dreams to dust, and endangers their lives and the lives of others. Unchecked, it poses a threat to our Nation. But Americans are fighting back against this insidious evil. More and more young people are choosing to "Just Say No" to drugs. This heartening development is due to the tireless efforts of concerned parents, private sector organizations, schools, and State and Federal government. We cannot afford to slacken in our efforts when nearly two-thirds of all American teenagers have used an illicit drug at least once before they finish high school. Especially disturbing is the level of cocaine use among teenagers and young adults in our country. Cocaine is especially dangerous because people tend to underestimate its harmful effects. Cocaine must be recognized for what it is: a dangerous, addictive drug. Cocaine can kill: deaths from respiratory and cardiac arrest from cocaine overdose are increasing among all age groups. Recently there has been a frightening upsurge in the use of "crack," a form of cocaine that is smoked. "Crack" reaches the brain within seconds, producing a sudden and intense high and a fierce craving to use it again and again, a phenomenon that has been called "instant addiction." The most effective weapon we have against drug abuse is to dry up demand by spreading knowledge about its ruinous effects. Across the country, individuals and organizations have discovered the power of united action. The "peer pressure" that so often has been used to snare the unwary into "experimenting" with drugs is now being used to build resistance. Youth-led groups are in the forefront of our national crusade to rid our country of this evil. The vigorous action of parents, religious and community leaders, teachers, doctors, counselors, and young people themselves with their commitment of time, energy, and love, has been an inspiration to all of us. Public education media campaigns have also been effective in motivating people to "Just Say No." A major portion of the Federal drug abuse

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