Jump to full article: The Scotsman, 2008-07-07
Author: LYNDSAY MOSS HEALTH CORRESPONDENT
Intro: KEIRA Knightley in Atonement; Bruce Willis in Die Hard; Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction – all three have used smoking to great effect, creating enduring images of stars lighting up.
But now, in an attempt to de-glamorise tobacco, the British Medical Association (BMA) has called for the portrayal of smoking to be taken into account when classifying films.
The BMA, which is holding its annual conference in Edinburgh this week, also wants anti-smoking adverts to appear before television programmes which show people lighting up.
Images ranging from chain-smoking young people in Channel 4's Skins to Dot Cotton lighting up in EastEnders can all contribute to making cigarettes seem acceptable, several international studies suggest.
A new report by the BMA – Forever Cool: the Influence of Smoking Imagery on Young People – said that most smokers started before the age of 18, with virtually all taking up the habit before 25.
. . .
Shona Robison, Scotland's public health minister, welcomed the BMA's report.
"Like clinicians, the Scottish Government recognises that smoking is one of the main causes of preventable ill-health."
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