Join us in showing your support in encouraging the New York State Attorney General and the National Association of Attorneys General to take the steps to reduce the impact of commercial tobacco imagery on youth!
Tell Hollywood to rate smoking "R". One little letter can save a million lives.
The evidence is conclusive. Smoking in movies kills in real life.
Because of exposure to smoking in movies, 6.4 million children alive today will become smokers, and 2 million of these children will die prematurely from disease caused by smoking. Giving an R rating to future movies with smoking would be expected to reduce the number of teen smokers by nearly 1 in 5 and prevent one million deaths from smoking among children alive today.
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How soon will the US film industry start saving a million lives? Why not now?
Policy Solutions
1. Rate new smoking movies "R"
Any future film that shows or implies tobacco should be given a adult rating - in the US, "R" rating.
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2. Certify no-payoffs
The credited producers should complete a legally-binding affidavit declaring that nobody associated with any future media production received any consideration or entered into any agreement related to tobacco depictions, and should post a certificate to this effect in the final credits.
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3. Require strong anti-smoking ads
Studios and theaters should run a proven-effective, anti-smoking advertisement (not produced by a tobacco company) immediately before any media production with any tobacco presence, in any distribution channel, regardless of the work's age classification.
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4. Stop identifying tobacco brands
Tobacco brand imagery should not appear in the foreground or background of any scene in any future media production, regardless of the work's age classification.
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5. End public subsidies for tobacco imagery
Future media productions with tobacco imagery should be made ineligible for generous tax credits and other public subsidies.