[Title 3 CFR 7251]
[Code of Federal Regulations (annual edition) - January 1, 2000 Edition]
[Title 3 - Presidential Documents]
[Proclamation 7251 - Proclamation 7251 of November 18, 1999]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]


3Presidential Documents12000-01-012000-01-01false7251Proclamation 7251Presidential Documents
Proclamation 7251 of November 18, 1999

National Great American Smokeout Day, 1999

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 
substan

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tial 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