“I never even thought how I would look when I'm 10!" the boy said.

Forget 10; on Thursday, he aged to 72.

"It's very wrinkly and the skin color isn't right,” said Mason.

Okay, so this time machine isn't the type that most kids imagine. Instead, it serves a very specific purpose.

"We talk about sagging skin, discoloration and diseases,” said Pam Holt, a health educator for St. John’s Health Systems.

It’s all directly related to smoking, a habit for nearly one quarter of Missouri's high school students, according to the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.

"The time to intervene is in middle school,” said Holt.

The Greene County Medical Society Alliance raised upwards of $30,000 to produce an animated video and put together a program for young people, all to help lower statistics.

"You're talking about all the diseases that have to be paid for on top of the price of the cigarettes they're going to smoke,” said Holt.

Annually in Missouri, more than $2 billion goes to treat health conditions directly related to smoking. Every household spends nearly $600 in federal taxes for government-related expenses attributable to smoking.

While those dollar figures may resonate with adults, the kids they're trying to catch have a different focus.

"I thought, ‘I don't want to smoke when I grow up because it makes you ugly and weird,’” said Amanda Hoff, a program participant.

Program organizers say responses like that one are priceless.

The program is called "Smoking Makes Me Ugly." St. John's will take it to area classrooms this fall. If you want to bring it into your classroom, you can give them a call at (417) 820-7233.