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To maintain momentum toward a smoke-free society, we also must 

 take steps to prevent young people from beginning to smoke. First, 

 we must insure that every child in every school in this country is 

 educated as to the health risks and the addictive nature of tobacco 

 use. Most jurisdictions require that school curricula include preven- 

 tion of drug use; therefore, education on the prevention of tobacco 

 use should be included in this effort. Second, warning labels 

 regarding the addictive nature of tobacco use should be required for 

 all tobacco packages and advertisements. Young people in particular 

 may not be aware of the risk of tobacco addiction. Finally, parents 

 and other role models should discourage smoking and other forms of 

 tobacco use among young people. Parents who quit set an example 

 for their children. 



Smoking continues to be the chief preventable^ cause of premature 

 death in this country. Nicotine has addictive , jperties which help 

 to sustain widespread tobacco use. It is gratifying to see the decline 

 in reported smoking prevalence and cigarette consumption in the 

 United States during the past 25 years. However, we cannot expect 

 to see a sustained decline in rates of smoking-related cancers, 

 cardiovascular disease, and pulmonary disease without sustained 

 public health efforts against tobacco use. 



The Public Health Service is committed to preventing tobacco use 

 among youth and to promoting cessation among existing smokers. 

 We hope that this Report will assist the health care community, 

 voluntary health agencies, and our Nation's schools in working with 

 us to reduce tobacco use in our society. 



Robert E. Windom, M.D. 

 Assistant Secretary for Health 



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