Editorial: Ban the Issue of Smoking in Movies by Sunny

What new movie is coming out this weekend? Approximately 900,000 people have watched St. Vincent, which grossed about $9,189,000 in its opening month. The issue is that they are not aware of how much explicit scenes of tobacco usage are shown.

Movies that show smoking scenes are advertising and supporting the cigarette industry. According to Scene Smoking, the movie St. Vincent, which is rated PG 13, shows more than 50 tobacco incidents. Major settings that tobacco are used in the movie are in medical facility, around a child, vehicle, and around an ill/pregnant person.

St. Vincent is not the only movie to be blamed for, because Dumber and Dumber to and X-Men: Days of Future Past are also movies that showed cases of tobacco usage. Since these movies are PG 13, teens are more likely to try or use tobacco at will. Constant views of tobacco usage makes people want to try it even more, because people would feel as if they are left behind and that they should try something new.

In an ABC News article, the  World Health Organization (WHO) had recommended that any movie that shows tobacco usage should be rated for only adults. As stated in the Four Smoke Free Movies Resolution, the WHO is backing up the first resolution; any film should be rated R if they are consisted of tobaccos usage unless they are showing the dangers or outcome of tobacco.  Therefore, St. Vincent should have been a rated R movie, because it showed more than 50 incidents of tobacco usage.

As stated in the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences in 2007, the panel had agreed that “exposure to depictions of smoking in movies is associated with more favorable attitudes toward smoking and characters who smoke, and these positive views are particularly prevalent among youth who themselves smoke.” The use of tobacco by one’s favorite actor or actress may show signs that smoking is “okay” and “cool” . In this case, movie producers should certify at the end of each movie that no one in the production received anything of value in return for displaying tobacco usage. In addition, movie producers should also display anti- tobacco ads or signs in the beginning of any movie that will depict tobacco scenes.  

Movies that show use of tobacco should be viewed as a threat to young teenagers. Tobacco can be seen as something that can kill oneself. In order to make a change, movie producers need to realize this public health problem in the younger generations and adapt to our concerns.With the cooperation of movie producers to our 4 smoke free resolutions (located on the right hand side), it would reduce the rate of influences on smoking tobacco immensely.

4 Smoke Free Resolutions Rate New Smoking Movies “R” Any Film that shows or implies tobacco should be rated “R.” The only exceptions should be when the presentation of tobacco clearly and unambiguously reflects the dangers and consequences of tobacco use or is necessary to represent smoking of a real historical figure.        2.     Certify No Pay-Offs The producers should post a certificate in the credits at the end of the movie declaring that nobody on the production received anything of value (cash money, free cigarettes or other gifts, free publicity, interest-free loans or anything else) from anyone in exchange for using or displaying tobacco.       3.        Require Strong Anti- Smoking Ads Studios and theaters should require a genuinely strong anti- smoking ad (not one produces by a tobacco company) to run before any film with any tobacco presence, regardless of its MPAA rating.       4.      Stop Identifying Tobacco Brands There should be no tobacco brand identification nor the presence of tobacco brand imagery (such as billboards) in the background of any movie scene.