The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Smoking in the movies is a major -- perhaps the major -- stimulus for adolescent smoking initiation in the United States. (The movies are an even more important stimulus in countries that have restricted or ended traditional cigarette advertising.) The tobacco industry has a long histry of collaboration with movie makers around the world. The Smoke Free Movies project has spawned an international effort to reduce the value of movies in promoting tobacco through implementation of 4 related policies: (1) An adult content ("R" in the US) rating for movies with smoking, (2) No brand identification, (3) An anti-smoking ad before any film with smoking (including on DVDs), (4) Certification of no payoffs. In countries that have banned tobacco advertising, this certification could be required in order to get an import license or tax breaks. This session will discuss progress in meeting these goals and how individuals and organizations can join the effort.