The Clinton administration has targeted federal employees in its war on smoking.
Under a directive issued Tuesday by the President, agency and department heads must send a message to all personnel urging that they stop smoking or never start. In addition, information on smoking cessation options available to federal employees must be included.
"Smoking-related diseases devastate our families and communities by contributing to the premature deaths of our husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, siblings and close friends," Clinton said in his order.
The Office of Personnel Management already provides agencies a wide range of possible smoking cessation services to offer their employees, including educational materials, classroom training, individual and/or group counseling and pharmacological therapy such as the nictine patch or nicotine gum.
The executive order is the latest in a series of anti-tobacco efforts on the part of the administration. A ban on smoking in all federal buildings went into effect in July 1998 and Clinton has pushed large increases in the budget for anti-smoking initiatives. In March, the Supreme Court struck down the Food and Drug Administration's effort to regulate tobacco as a drug.