Proclamation 7251

By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation

Tobacco use continues to be the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the United States, costing more than 400,000 lives and $50 billion in medical expenses each year. Some 3,000 Americans under the age of 18 become regular smokers every day, and we know that at least 1,000 of these new smokers will die prematurely from a tobacco-related disease. As caring adults and responsible citizens, we must do all we can to keep another generation of Americans from succumbing to the lure of tobacco. Each year, the Great American Smokeout provides people across our Nation with an opportunity to stand united in our efforts to help smokers quit and to convince our fellow citizens who don't smoke that they should not start.

Some positive statistics reinforce this message. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year an estimated 1.2 million adult smokers successfully quit smoking-permanently. Smokers who quit before age 50 substantially increase their expected lifespan, compared with those who continue smoking after they turn 50. Former smokers also reduce their risk for coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, emphysema, and stroke.

My Administration has worked hard to identify the best practices for preventing tobacco use among our young people and encouraging those who do smoke to quit. I have asked the Congress to discourage young people from smoking by funding important health programs and raising the price of cigarettes. I have also urged the States to invest a portion of the substantial funds they acquired in last year's settlement with tobacco companies in programs that help reduce youth smoking while not abandoning tobacco farmers and their communities.

During this 23rd Great American Smokeout, I encourage all Americans to create a healthy, tobacco-free environment for themselves, their children, and their fellow citizens. I also ask that part of this special day be spent engaging youth in discussions about the dangers of tobacco use, teaching them how to establish healthy lifestyles, and helping them to develop effective measures for becoming or remaining tobacco-free.

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 18, 1999, 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 both smokers and nonsmokers to take this opportunity to practice a healthy lifestyle that sets a positive example for young people.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this eighteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth.

William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., November 22, 1999]