The Huron County Health Unit is working to raise awareness about the effects of smoking on youth, primarily smoking portrayed in movies and film.
The move comes on the heels of a report by the World Health Organization to push governments toward changing ratings for movies that show, depict or portray scenes involving smoking to "18A."
Public Health Promoter Sam Docherty says research has shown that approximately 37% of youth start smoking because of what they see in movies.
"By giving an 18A rating to movies showing tobacco use, we could reduce the number of teen smokers," says Docherty. "That could actually prevent about 43,000 premature deaths among Canadian children and youth today."
Statistics have shown that between 2004 and 2013 in Ontario alone, 57% of top grossing movies portrayed smoking with 87% of those being youth-rated.
The Ontario Coalition for Smoke Free Movies is leading the initiative.
Additional recommendations include ending the display of tobacco brands in films and requiring strong anti-smoking ads to be shown prior to movies.
