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Forest criticises call to rate movies that portray tobacco use
Mon 1st February, 2016
Forest has criticised a call for governments to rate movies that portray tobacco use.
The World Health Organisation also wants warnings to be displayed before such films are shown.
Simon Clark, director of Forest, said: "The portrayal of smoking in films should be a matter for the film industry and individual producers and directors, not the World Health Organisation.
"Disney has a no smoking policy for its PG 13-rated films, and that's fine, but films aimed at older audiences must be allowed to reflect real life not some sanitised smoke free world.
"Penalising films that portray tobacco use by giving them a rating equivalent to an 18 certificate is a clumsy and unnecessary attempt at censorship.
"What next? Will films that portray drinking, violence and casual sex be given a similar rating in case they're a bad influence too?"
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