Action Items
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 Smoking in films is inconsistent with real smoking rates…
- Although actual smoking rates are nearly half what they were 50
years ago, the number if incidences per hour of smoking in
movies in 2002 exceeded the number of incidences per hour in
films from 195011; and
- Although adult smoking rates have been steady or declining since
the 80s, smoking in movies is more than twice as common now
as it was during its all-time minimum between 1980 and 1982.12
- Research shows that adolescents are aware of the high
prevalence of smoking in films; and that this perception of high
smoking rates on screen leads to perceptions of high smoking
rates in real-life, leading to exaggerated ideas of the numbers of
peers and adults that smoke.13
…And this is no accident.
- In the 1980s, the 4 Major US tobacco Companies (Philip Morris,
RJ Reynolds, Brown & Williamson, and American Tobacco
Company) hired aggressive product placement teams to put
tobacco products and signs in positive situations in films, and to
prevent brands from being used in negative situations.14
- At least one of the companies, RJ Reynolds, had a program to
provide free cigarettes to actors on a monthly basis.15
- Of the top 25 films each year between 1988 and 1997, more
than 85% included tobacco use.16
- Tobacco brand product placement was found in 35% of those
films rated for adults, 32% of films rated for adolescents, and
20% of films rated for children.17
"Our primary objective will remain the same, to have smoking featured in a prominent way, especially when it is tied favorably
with celebrities." 
- Letter written to President of RJReynolds Tobacco from its PR firm in 1981
- Although the tobacco industry adopted a voluntary ban on paid
product placement in films in 1991, brand visibility did not
decrease, and “actor endorsements” of tobacco brands in films
increased from 1% to 11%.18
Smoking in movies has a huge impact on youth smoking.
- After controlling for other factors, 52.2% of youth smoking
initiation can be attributed to exposure to smoking in films.19
- Youth with very high exposure to smoking in movies are 2.71
times more likely to smoke than those with the lowest exposure
to smoking in movies.20
- And the effect of smoking in movies on smoking initiation is greater in youth with non-smoking parents.21
- Teens that are smokers are more likely than non-smokers to
have favorite stars that smoke on and off screen. And nonsmokers
that had favorite stars that smoke in films and in public
are more susceptible to smoking than other non-smokers.22
References
11Glantz, SA, et al., “Back to the Future: Smoking in Movies in 2002 Compared with
1950 levels,” American Journal of Public Health 94(2):261-263, February 2004.
12Ibid.
"Many times we can get a display, a sign, a t-shirt, a logo, etc inserted into a positive scene, even when the product may not be used in the movie. This gives us a real life environment into
which your name is used."
John McGinn, Advertising Director for
American Tobacco Company
13McCool, J et al., “Adolescents Perceptions of Smoking Imagery in Film,” Social
Science and Medicine 52(10):1577-1587, May 2001.
14Mekemson, C, and SA Glantz, “How the Tobacco industry Built its relationship with
Hollywood,” Tobacco Control 11(Supplement 1):i81-i91, 2002.
15Ibid.
16Sargent, J, et al., “Brand Appearances in Contemporary Cinema Films and
Contribution to Global Marketing of Cigarettes,” Lancet 357(9249):29-32, January
2001.
17Ibid.
18Ibid.
19Dalton, MA, et al., “Effect of Viewing Smoking in Movies on Adolescent Smoking
Initiation: A Cohort Study,” Lancet, June 10, 2003.
20Ibid.
21Ibid.
22Distefan, J, et al., “Do Movie Stars Encourage Adolescents to Start Smoking?
Evidene from California,” Preventive Medicine 28(1):1-11, January
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