Tobacco use is still prevalent in films

Tobacco use in films is still wide- spread despite a voluntary ban on cigarette promotion being adopted in Hollywood, accord- ing to a study published in the Lancet in January (2001;357:2932). Eighty five per cent of the top 25 grossing blockbusters between 1988 and 1997 featured tobacco, while 28% of the movies showed distinct tobacco branding.

“The increase in smoking on TV and in movies counters the education efforts in schools,” says Shelly Huff of the American Cancer Society. “You'll find actors like Bruce Willis defusing a bomb with a cigarette hanging …