UCSF's Glantz Slams Hollywood's Lax Enforcement of Tobacco Rating

A gadfly with giant wings, UCSF's Stan Glantz, PhD, knows how to cause a stir. For decades, Glantz, a UCSF professor of medicine, has used an insinuating style, relentless advocacy and scientific evidence to champion — often effectively — increasingly stringent tobacco controls around the world. Indeed, it is a tribute to Glantz's reputation that when the famous Brown & Williamson Tobacco Papers were leaked in 1994, he and UCSF were the recipients. Glantz's subsequent publishing of these 4,000 pages of internal industry documents in a book called The Cigarette Papers earned him the undying enmity of tobacco companies and iconic status among health advocates and public policymakers. His latest campaign -- to ban smoking in the movies -- has tied the social consequences of smoking to its continued glamorization in film. The following press release from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, quotes Glantz liberally. For Immediate Release:
May 28, 2008 L.A. County Department of Public Health Urges Hollywood to Seriously Address Movies' Impact on Teen Smoking Anti-Smoking Movie Trailer Debuts, Along with Research Showing Hollywood's 2007 Pledge to Address Smoking in Movies Aimed at Youth is Lackluster LOS ANGELES – Today the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health marked the one-year anniversary of the Motion Picture Association of America's (MPAA) pledge to address the impact of smoking in movies aimed at teen audiences by calling the MPAA's efforts lackluster. Public Health, joined by representatives from the California Medical Association, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Smoke-free Movies Project, Sacramento Breathe Thumbs Up Thumbs Down Project, and the American Medical Association Alliance urged Hollywood to address the fact that smoking in movies is a powerful pro-tobacco influence on children. New research released by Public Health confirms the effect smoking in movies is having on California youth between 13 and 17 years of age. Key findings include:
  • Among youth who reported seeing smoking in movies occasionally or hardly ever, only 13.5 percent started smoking. That number jumped dramatically to 21.8 percent among youth who reported seeing smoking in almost all movies.
  • 37 percent of teens who said they saw frequent tobacco use by actors in movies, videos and on TV admitted that they also smoke or have tried smoking.
  • Among Asian-American youth who reported seeing smoking in movies occasionally or hardly ever, 11.3 percent started smoking. However, that number jumped more than three times to 38.9 percent among those who reported seeing smoking in almost all movies.
  • Among Latino youth who reported seeing smoking in movies occasionally or hardly ever, 12.6 percent started smoking. That number more than doubled to 27.3 percent among those who reported seeing smoking in almost all movies.
"These findings are a disturbing affirmation of the impact of smoking in youth-rated films, especially for Latinos and Asian Americans," said Dr. Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, Public Health Director and County Health Officer. "Hollywood needs to recognize that what youth see on the big screen affects their health habits, and that the impact of smoking in movies cannot be underestimated. Eliminating tobacco use in youth-rated movies is critical in our effort to reduce the number of young people who start smoking." These findings are consistent with other national surveys of teen smoking behavior. A five-year study by scientists at Dartmouth released in 2001 suggests that an estimated 52 percent of tobacco use initiation is directly attributable to tobacco use in movies. The study also found that adolescents who viewed their favorite movie stars smoking on the big screen were significantly more likely to imitate their heroes and become smokers themselves. The study shows these adolescents were also significantly more likely to show a greater acceptance toward smoking than adolescents who prefer non-smoking actors. Also released today, a report by researchers from UCSF shows that the MPAA has failed to adequately include smoking as a factor when rating movies one year after pledging to do so. The audit of the MPAA's tobacco-rating practices found no substantial change in the percentage of G, PG, and PG-13 films with tobacco scenes since the new ratings plan was announced. While there was a reduction in the number of tobacco incidents in PG-13 movies, the percentage of youth-rated films with smoking has not decreased. Although there are fewer incidents of smoking in movies, MPAA has not changed their ratings to reflect on-going tobacco use that still appear in films. We are asking MPAA to adopt four policies:
  1. Rating new movies that show tobacco use "R". The only exception should be when the presentation of tobacco clearly and unambiguously reflects the dangers and consequences of tobacco use or is necessary to represent the smoking of a real historical figure;
  2. Certification that there were no pay-offs for using or displaying tobacco;
  3. No tobacco brand identification;
  4. Strong anti-smoking ads before movies with smoking.
"It is clear that Hollywood's attempt at dealing with this problem via the MPAA's tobacco-rating policy announced last year has proven to be woefully inadequate," noted Stanton Glantz, professor of medicine at UCSF. "The reality is that mainstream movies continue to deliver billions of tobacco impressions and are a strong recruiter of new teen smokers. Further delay in substantially reducing youth exposure to on-screen tobacco imagery, in full knowledge of the massive health consequences, is irresponsible and unacceptable." Studies show that one way to reduce the negative impact of smoking scenes in movies is to expose teens to an anti-smoking message prior to watching a movie. Based on this research, Public Health is launching a new 15-second anti-smoking trailer to run in theaters this summer. The messages in the trailer are specifically tailored to resonate with young people, using a humorous approach with reasons not to smoke in youth-oriented, relatable terms. The trailer will initially run in selected theaters throughout LA County before every movie. The trailer will also be made available to air in local communities throughout California and the nation. "Hollywood cannot underestimate the horrific toll that smoking in movies will have on the health of an entire generation," said Dr. Richard Frankenstein, president of the California Medical Association. "Research has shown that U.S. deaths attributable to youth exposure to on-screen tobacco will be greater than drunk driving, drug abuse, criminal violence and HIV/AIDS combined. The time is now to get smoking out of youth-rated films." The Department of Public Health is committed to protecting and improving the health of the nearly 10 million residents of Los Angeles County. Through a variety of programs, community partnerships and services, Public Health oversees environmental health, disease control, and community and family health. Public Health comprises more than 4,000 employees and an annual budget exceeding $750 million. To learn more about Public Health and the work we do, please visit http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.