Terry Goddard Provides Hollywood with Anti-Smoking Messages for DVDs

(Phoenix, Ariz. – Sept. 7, 2006) Attorney General Terry Goddard today announced that he is once again urging Hollywood’s major motion picture studios to insert anti-smoking public service announcements in all DVDs, videos and other newer home viewing formats of movies in which smoking is depicted. Goddard is the co-chair of the National Association of Attorneys General Tobacco Committee.

Goddard joined 40 other Attorneys General in a letter to the studios, which included three "classic" truth® anti-smoking campaign messages created by the American Legacy Foundation that could be used by the studios at no cost and for unlimited use.

"It is my hope that by providing these messages to the studios, it will be easier for them to join our efforts to reduce and ultimately stop youth smoking,” Goddard said. “We continue to urge the movie industry to take steps to prevent youth smoking. Including these PSAs would be a positive step in this effort.”

This letter follows an earlier November 2005 request to the studios to help prevent youth smoking by inserting anti-smoking messages in movies that depict smoking. Dan Glickman, President of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), responding for the studios, told the Attorneys General that individual companies could decide whether to run PSAs on DVDs or videos. He also said the industry would consider PSAs as one possible idea in an overall anti-smoking campaign. To date, the Attorneys General have received no further indication from the studios or the MPAA of progress on an antismoking PSA effort.

This letter is the latest in a series of actions by the Attorneys General to gain the cooperation of the movie industry in lowering youth smoking initiation by reducing depictions of smoking and tobacco brand appearances in movies and by airing effective anti-smoking PSAs.

Letters were sent to Paramount Pictures, The Walt Disney Company, Miramax Films, DreamWorks SKG, Sony Pictures Entertainment, MGM Pictures, Universal Pictures, Warner Brothers Studios, Fox Filmed Entertainment, New Line Cinema, Lionsgate, MTV Network and The Weinstein Company.

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Letter 3506.61 KB