Protecting our children from tobacco. Today, the President will travel to New Jersey to participate in a "Kick Butts Day" program. The day is a multi-city effort in which children and adults in their communities survey and discuss the tobacco companies' marketing which appeals to young people. The President will hear about their findings and reiterate his commitment to protect children from the early use of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, and to ensure them the healthy future they deserve.

"Our first challenge is to cherish our children and strengthen America's families. . . Our administration has taken steps to stop the massive marketing campaigns that appeal to our children. We are simply saying: Market your products to adults, if you wish, but draw the line on children."

-- President Clinton,
State of the Union Address,
January 23, 1996

Taking positive steps as partners. National Kick Butts Day highlights the growing consensus in America that tobacco advertising should not be targeted to our young people. The private sector, the public sector and ordinary citizens are demanding that tobacco companies come on board to meet their moral and legal responsibility to prevent the sale of cigarettes to minors. President Clinton cited the following examples of this growing national movement:

• Companies like 3M, who have decided to voluntarily end their billboard business with tobacco companies;
• Supermarket chains like A&P, whose CEO is going to ask his board to eliminate vending machines;
• Prominent athletes, churches, parents and young people across America are also joining the effort.

Giving parents and communities the tools they need. On August 10, 1995, President Clinton announced FDA's proposed comprehensive and coordinated plan to reduce smoking by children and adolescents by 50 percent. The initiative has been published as a proposed rule of the Food and Drug Administration. If adopted, it would:

• Reduce access by children.
  
  • Require face-to-face sales and age verification with photo identification;
  • Eliminate free samples and impersonal sales like vending machines and mail orders.

• Limit the appeal of cigarettes to children.
  
  • Ban outdoor advertising within 1,000 feet of schools and playgrounds;
  • Restrict all other outdoor advertising to black-and-white text only;
  • Ban non-tobacco products such as t-shirts and caps that have cigarette or smokeless tobacco product brand names, logos or symbols;
  • Allow the sponsorship of events only in the corporate name.

The Synar Regulation. On January 18, 1996, the Administration issued a final rule, named for its author, the late Mike Synar, designed to ensure that states and territories adopt and enforce laws prohibiting the sale or distribution of tobacco products to children.

• Too many users, too many costs.
  
  • Every year, one million children take up smoking, even though it is against the law. Between 1991 and 1994, the percentage of eighth graders who smoke increased 30 percent.
  • Of the 3,000 young people who start smoking every day, 1,000 of them will die as a result.
  • In 1993, the estimated health care costs from smoking-related disease and death was $50 billion.
  • Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Tobacco products are responsible for more than 400,000 deaths each year due to cancer, respiratory illness, heart disease, and other health problems. Cigarettes kill more Americans each year than AIDS, alcohol, car accidents, murders, suicides, illegal drugs and fires combined.