Entertainment Industry Foundation Unites Major Studios and State of California for Historic Anti-Smokin...( Youth-rated DVDs of movies with smo...),Health

Youth-rated DVDs of movies with smoking scenes will include anti-smoking

PSAs

LOS ANGELES, July 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) announced today that the six major studios will include anti-smoking public service announcements produced by the California Health and Human Services Agency on millions of youth-rated DVDs of motion pictures that include scenes with tobacco use.

Through this campaign, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal Pictures, Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. will place California's anti-smoking public service announcements in the opening minutes of DVDs of all new movies with tobacco use that are rated G, PG and PG-13.

"This is a strong and responsible step on the part of the entertainment industry that will go a long way toward countering the influence of tobacco use in films," said Kim Belshe, California Health and Human Services Secretary. "With this agreement, we will be able to promote the benefits of living tobacco-free to millions of viewers at no cost to taxpayers, while encouraging important conversations between parents and their children about the dangers of smoking."

EIF, which has focused for several years on combating the negative effects of "glamorized" smoking in films, brought the State of California and the Hollywood studios together and handled the production details to make this first-of-its-kind initiative a reality.

"The State of California is a great partner, having produced some of the most successful anti-smoking public service announcements. California's Tobacco Control Program PSAs have helped the state achieve some of the lowest adult and teen smoking rates in the country," said EIF President and CEO Lisa Paulsen. "We're proud to have played a role in bringing the state and all the studios together."

The public service announcements will appear before the films
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