Countywide : Santa, Songs Stress Dangers of Smoking

If 10-year-old Cynthia Aguilar had her way, using tobacco would be a crime.

“I think making a law like that would be good for our community (because) there’s a lot of people out there dying” from tobacco-related illnesses, said Cynthia, a fifth-grade student at Hoover Elementary School in Santa Ana.

Cynthia spoke shortly after addressing more than 2,000 Santa Ana students as part of the 17th annual Great American Smokeout on Thursday.

She and her fellow students, from several elementary, intermediate and high schools citywide, gathered on the lawn of the Old County Courthouse for an anti-tobacco rally that emphasized the dangers of smoking or chewing tobacco.

The 90-minute event included admonitions from Santa Claus not to start smoking and ended after St. Nick pledged to give up his own smoking habit. To seal that promise, he broke his pipe and stepped on the pieces in front of a cheering crowd.

Santa told the crowd that he had to give up smoking because “the reindeer were wheezing and Rudolf’s nose was red all the time. I think he’s allergic to smoke.”

To make matters worse, he said, Mrs. Claus had told him that kissing him “ ‘is like licking an ashtray.’ And that’s not fun for her.”

Jim Walker, who organized the event, said the anti-smoking message targeted youngsters because they are the most likely group to pick up the habit. About 60% of smokers start before they are 14, and 90% start before they are 18.

Nancy Robins, a spokeswoman for the Tobacco Youth Prevention Program, said the event “certainly brings light to the fact that smoking is no longer acceptable.”

Robins, a former smoker, added that “we hope that children can learn from a hero like Santa Claus that tobacco can definitely harm you just as sure as a more hazardous drug.”

During the event, students displayed signed pledges never to smoke or use tobacco. Student speakers also called for legislation banning or further restricting the use of tobacco products.

Several youngsters in the crowd wore pins that read, “Kiss me, I don’t smoke.”

Although teen-agers of past generations often associated smoking with looking cool or older, students at the rally claimed that no one does anymore.

They said smoking conjures up completely different associations, including bad breath, stained fingernails, smelly clothes and hair, and lungs coated with tarry slime.

“Smoking stinks, and it could cause lung problems and cancer and yellow teeth,” said 11-year-old Elizabeth Cantillo.

Underscoring the dangers of tobacco use, the “World’s First Laryngectomy A Capella Choir” performed “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” for the crowd.

The singers included people whose voice boxes were surgically removed because of their smoking habits.

Their croaking, gravel-voiced rendition ended with the words: “We wish you a merry Christmas and a smoke-free New Year.”