Tobacco's Toll: 1,019,456 kids became regular smokers in 2001. 326,226 will eventually die from their addiction."

Over 3,000 young people will try a cigarette for the first time today.

Nicotine is a drug that is more addictive than heroin or LSD.

Nicotine reaches your brain in 7 seconds, sending out a message to your body that shrinks your blood cells, causing a shortage of oxygen to different parts of your body.

Smoking affects more than your lungs because your blood picks up the chemicals to transport them to every part of your body.

Chewing tobacco is also addictive. It can cause major problems with your teeth, tongue, gums, or jaw. Many have gotten cancer. Imagine chewing tootsie rolls and not being able to swallow the juice. It just sits there and ruins your mouth.

Having a smoking section in a restaurant is like having a peeing section in a swimming pool.

A principal told me about a 6th grader who discovered she had lung cancer. She had never smoked a cigarette, but she lived with people that did.

I posted a handful of tobacco facts for the sake of those who will be asked to perform a Red Ribbon school assembly. It is easy to find facts on the internet. Jokes were a little more difficult to come by, but they are there.

90% of smoking adults took their first puff before age 19.

In the comics, Lois Lane did not smoke. But in the first Superman movies she was a chain smoker. Why? The tobacco company paid $42,000 to have her smoke their brand.

Tobacco industry spends 18.5 million per day to advertise their products.

Youth are 3 times more sensitive to tobacco advertising than adults.

Low income neighborhoods have the most billboards promoting tobacco.

Tobacco contains 43 known cancer causing chemicals.

Cigarettes conatin arsenic, which is also used in rat poison.

Which of the following is responsible for the most American deaths each year?
A. Murder
B. Fire
C. Alcohol
D. HIV
E. Car Accidents
F. Smoking

The answer: Smoking kills more Americans every year than all the other reasons combined.

For younger children, focus on staying away from others while they are smoking. Ask your parents, or houseguests not to smoke around children.

Don't focus on smoking leads to death too much (don't use ALL the facts) or kids may be scared that someone they love is going to drop dead the next day. Explain that many adults were tricked into using tobacco because of all of the ads. Our government used to give cigarettes to wounded soldiers in the hospital!

Once they started they found that it was very difficult to quit.

Explain emotional and physical addiction to drugs, alcohol, or tobacco.

Coach (C) and Ventriloquist (V): Coach is slow on the upswing.

V: I have taken the liberty of inviting someone who was a great inspiration to me when I was in school. He is retired now, but I hope he inspires you as much as he did me. Please welcome my former basketball coach, Mr. Robert Knight.

C: Well, thank you, ____. I was just telling someone about you the other day.

V: Really?

C: Yes. I visit my therapist once a week. Your name came up..... again.

V: I've invited you here for a special reason.

C: And what is that?

V: I would appreciate your help. I'm here today to teach the students about smoking.

C: Oh, yes. I know about that. First you need a cigarette. Then you need something to light it with....

V: Wait! We are here to teach them that they shouldn't smoke.

C: Oh! Of course. Smoking is dangerous. Smoking is bad for your health. Smoking can make you go bald.

V: Excuse me?

C: I have an uncle who smokes cigars. One day he accidentally caught my aunt's hair on fire.
V: She must have been scared to death!

C: She was angry! She can be a real hot head! You could see smoke coming out of her ears! Pretty, though. She's a flaming redhead.

V: Was she alright?

C: Luckily, my uncle was drinking lemonade at the time, so he poured it on her hair. Their relationship has been sour ever since.

V: Did you know 3,000 young people will try tobacco for the first time today?

C: (looks around) Are they passing out free samples?

V: I mean, across America. 3,000 kids have been seeing ads or have been asked by their friends or family to try tobacco, and they will!

C: Why would they do that? Don't they know it's very bad for them?

V: Yes, but that peer pressure is tough. Just over 1,000,000 kids will probably become regular smokers this year.

C: Don't they know it could kill them?

V: Yes, but they have trouble giving it up.

C: It wouldn't kill you to give up that extra food. Have you been exercising?

V: Can we stick to the subject, Coach? Tell them about Nicotine.

C: Nick is a teen. He played center way back in 1986...

V: I'm talking about the chemical in tobacco!

C: Oh! Nicotine is a chemical in tobacco. Once you breathe it in it only takes 7 seconds to go to your brain.

V: It is more addictive than heroin or LSD.

C: So your body says, "Give me more!"

V: And if you try to quit you get the shakes. (Puppet's mouth opens, starts to shake) And your body cries out for the Nicotine.

C: Nick! Nick! Where are you? I need you, Nick!

V: Your brain sends a message to your body to shrink the blood cells down in size.

C: I'm melting, I'm melting!

V: Causing a shortage of oxygen to different parts of your body.

C: (Gasping for air.)

V: Second hand smoke is also dangerous.

C: So make sure you don't smoke in a thrift store.

V: And if you know someone who is pregnant, be sure to convince them not to smoke.

C: I knew a lady who smoked when she was pregnant. Her baby didn't grow very strong. It weighed less than three pounds when it was born.

V: Coach, you always told your athletes that they couldn't drink or smoke when they were on your team. Why is that?

C: Because then the steroids wouldn't work as well.

V: That's not true! You never let them take steroids either.

C: I was kidding. You want your body to do its best. Smoking cuts your oxygen down. The military did tests to see if soldiers who smoked could do as well as when they did not smoke. They couldn't even though they thought they could.

V: Well, thank you, Coach. Do you have any last words of advice?

C: No, but I hope you tell them about chewing tobacco. When I was young it was used a lot but it's dangeous too.

V: Okay, Coach. Thanks for visiting.

(Then I use the Axtell mouth for talking about chewing tobacco. It comes as a clean or a dirty mouth.)