http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2004/01/21/smokingmovies_040121

 

Slap "R" rating on films with smoking: Lung Association

 

TORONTO - The Lung Association in Ontario is lobbying for all films that show smoking to be given a restricted rating, preventing anyone under 18 from seeing those movies.

 

The association presented a report by its youth tobacco team on Weedless Wednesday to the government ? the day Canadians are encouraged to kick the habit.

 

The team included an American study that concluded the more young people saw smoking in films, the more likely they were to start smoking.

 

"It's the one girl who looks up to Julia Roberts and sees her smoke and feels like she has to be influenced by it," said Michelle Tham, 18, a member of the team.

 

The association says one in five high school students smoke.

 

"This would be an incentive for [filmmakers] to remove the product entirely," said Susan Berek of the Ontario Tobacco Free Network.

 

Alan Goluboff, head of the Directors Guild of Canada, scoffed at the idea. He warns such a law would kill Canadian filmmaking.

"The whole concept is absolutely ridiculous ? placing that kind of creative restriction on the whims of an artist is dangerous."

 

Tham says any artist should be able to use his or her creativity to do a scene without using cigarettes.

 

Peter Fonseco, parliamentary secretary to Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman, says the proposal would be taken seriously if it shows an R rating would make a "measurable difference in terms of Ontarians smoking or not."

 

 

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LMAO "It would just kill canadian filmaking". Is there such a thing as Canadian film making. I guess if there is it relies on smoking in every movie.

i aggree with this articel

I have nothing against smoking. Stupid people deserve a painful death when it has been drilled into their heads that smoking will give you lung cancer.

 

But for the love of God, stop suing.