Hollywood Studios Come Forward to Make Nation Tobacco-Free

Several organizations in the United States have already been making immense efforts for smoking cessation, and so many laws and policies are there that prohibit smoking in restaurants and public places. Now, Hollywood has come forward to contribute to the anti-smoking campaigns.

Six major studios announced Friday they will place anti-smoking ads on new movie DVDs, a move that would help make children aware about the health dangers of smoking.

The participating film studios, including Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney Studios and Twentieth Century Fox, announced yesterday that they have reached an agreement to include anti-smoking public service announcements (PSAs) on millions of DVDs of motion pictures that include scenes with tobacco use.

The PSAs are produced by California’s Tobacco Control Program, which is operated by the state’s Health and Human Services Agency.

"This is a strong and responsible step on the part of the entertainment industry that will go a long way toward countering the influence of tobacco use in films," said Kim Belshé, California Health and Human Services Secretary. "With this agreement, we will be able to promote the benefits of living tobacco-free to millions of viewers at no cost to taxpayers, while encouraging important conversations between parents and their children about the dangers of smoking."

The agreement involving the studios and the State of California was made public by the Entertainment Industry Foundation, a philanthropic leader of the entertainment industry which aims to decrease the presence of tobacco on screen and on film sets.

EIF said Friday that the aforesaid studios will place non-smoking ads on millions of youth-rated DVDs of motion pictures that include smoking scenes.

The PSAs will appear on the DVD releases of all new movies rated G, PG or PG-13. The studios will place the announcements in the opening minutes of the films on each DVD, and at the end of each 30-second PSA, viewers will be directed to http://www.TobaccoFreeCA.com, for details on the potential dangers of smoking and for help in combating cigarette smoking habits and helping others quit.

"The State of California is a great partner, having produced some of the most successful anti-smoking public service announcements. California's Tobacco Control Program PSAs have helped the state achieve some of the lowest adult and teen smoking rates in the country," said EIF President and CEO Lisa Paulsen. "We're proud to have played a role in bringing the state and all the studios together."