113 STAT. 2030
PROCLAMATION 7149—NOV. 19, 1998
ty-eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the
two hundred and twenty-third.
WILLIAM J. CLINTON
Proclamation 7149 of November 19, 1998
National Great American Smokeout Day, 1998
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
One of the greatest public health threats facing Americans today is tobacco addiction and all the related health disorders that come with it.
More Americans die every year from tobacco-related diseases than
from AIDS, illegal drugs, alcohol, fires, car accidents, murders, and suicides combined. Although we have heard for decades the Surgeon General's warning that smoking kills, each day more than 3,000 young
Americans become regular smokers—and more than 1,000 of them will
die prematvuely as a result.
This past April, the Siu^eon General issued a new report on tobacco
that underscores the indent need for comprehensive legislation to reduce youth smoking. Over the past 6 years, youth smoking has grown
by one-third, increasing by an alarming 80 percent among African
American youth. Currently, more than 36 percent of high school students smoke, and recent statistics released by the Centers for Disease
Control also reaffirm what we already know: nicotine creates an addiction that is extremely difficult to overcome. Unfortunately, 86 percent
of our young people who smoke daily and try to quit are imsuccessful,
and casual teenage smokers—even those who smoke as few as three
cigarettes a month—often go on to become regular smokers.
My Administration has worked hard for comprehensive and effective
tobacco legislation that will cut teen smoking. We will continue our ef-
forts until the Congress has acted to pass such legislation. Our 1999
budget also includes an imprecedented increase in funding for research
at the National Institutes of Health, and the National Cancer Institute
plans to allocate millions of those dollars for research into prevention
and cessation programs to reduce tobacco use.
Each year, the Great American Smokeout gives us the opportunity to
do what we should do every day: raise awareness among all Americans—^but especially among children and teens—of the dangers of
smoking. Through such youth-related promotions as the Great American SmokeScream and the Great American Smokeout Pledge, we can
encourage young people who smoke to stop, and we can convince
those who don't smoke that they should never start. Adult smokers
should also remember the power of personal example and make a sincere effort to stop smoking n this special day, taking an important step
toward a better, healthier futiu-e.
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
19, 1998, as National Great American Smokeout Day. I call upon all
Americans to join together in an effort to educate our children about
�
