City council considers adults only certificate for films featuring smoking

Liverpool City Council is considering giving films that have characters who smoke an “18+” certificate.

In some parts of the city between 40% and 50% of adults smoke, twice the national prevalence in England of 22%. Local health officials say that the proposal is part of a series of public health measures that the city has championed for its smoke-free Liverpool strategy. In 2004 the city voted for a ban on smoking in public, but this was overtaken by national legislation in July 2007.

The national British Board of Film Classification awards films …