Santa Claus Has Quit Smoking, Asks Parents to Quit to Save Kids' Lives

WASHINGTON - Dec. 19, 2024 - PRLog -- Santa Claus will deliver toys this year without his pipe because of growing concerns about his health, the health of Mrs. Claus, and the growing number of court orders and even laws prohibiting smoking in homes with children.

This way, Santa said in an email, he will not be endangering the health of billions of children, many of whom have medical conditions which make them especially sensitive to secondhand tobacco smoke.

Reacting to the growing evidence that even small amounts of secondhand tobacco smoke pose very serious health risks to young children, Santa said that he has given up smoking, and urged parents of young children to do the same as a Christmas gift to their offspring.

He noted that the New York Times had reported, "At least 6,200 children die each year in the United States because of their parents' smoking, killed by such things as lung infections and burns . . More young children are killed by parental smoking than by all unintentional injuries combined."

Santa also noted that in thousands of homes, both here and abroad, all smoking is banned by court order or, in the case of homes where foster children live, by legislation or agency regulations.

In addition, since smoking has been banned in so many public places in order to protect adults, Santa believed that it was time to extend the same protection to young children.

Santa urged parents to follow his example, or at least not to smoke within a home where there are children.

Santa's decision was announced by public interest law professor John Banzhaf, who had written a letter to old Saint Nick.  Instead of asking for presents, Banzhaf asked Santa to note that times have changed, and that what was once seen as a harmless habit is now known to be a deadly danger to children. Fortunately, Santa agreed.

Prior letters by Banzhaf led to antismoking messages on radio and television, the end to cigarette commercials, bans on smoking in many public places, judges issuing orders prohibiting smoking in custody cases, bans on smoking in the homes of foster children, and a 50% surcharge on smokers under Obamacare.

Santa also decided to follow the example of the World Health Organization and many other businesses, and require that all of his elves be nonsmokers. He was moved by estimates that each and every smoking worker can cost his employer more than $12,000 a year in added and totally unnecessary costs, something Santa can ill afford.

http://banzhaf.net/   jbanzhaf3ATgmail.com   @profbanzhaf