Viewers should be warned of cigarette smoking in movies,TV: AMA

Cigarettes smoking on TV and in movies is not giving children adequate warnings about the dangers of smoking, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) said on Wednesday.

The AMA called on the federal government to introduce a warning system to be shown before a TV show or movie airs in a similar way that viewers are warned that coarse language, nudity and drug use features in the broadcast.

The recommendation is part of the AMA's latest position on cigarettes and e-cigarettes,the first one since 2005.

AMA president Professor Brian Owler said the Australian government should look to India, which has a system similar to the one the doctors are suggesting.

"The Indian government ordered that from mid-2005 no one on film or television should be depicted smoking, and when old films are shown they have to carry warnings or they will have smoking scenes blurred," Owler said in a statement Wednesday.

"One approach that might be suitable for the Australian context is the addition of a warning at the start of a film or television program that alerts the viewer to depictions of smoking."

According to the AMA, smoking is still the largest preventable cause of death and disease in Australia.

Results of a recent study conducted by the AMA showed that two in three smokers will die as a result of their habit.

The AMA also wants the federal government to introduce a consistent restriction on the unintentional marketing and advertising of e-cigarettes across Australia.

Owler said the current laws, which vary from state to state send mixed messages to consumers including children.

"While some states have taken a strong stance on e-cigarettes, others have not which sends conflicting messages to consumers," Owler said.

"The promotion of e-cigarettes to young people as recreational products has the potential to undermine tobacco control efforts, and normalize the act of smoking." Endit