KEY POINTS:
Hollywood films which glamorise smoking are the single greatest health risks to New Zealand kids, says an anti-smoking lobby group.
While the tobacco industry couldn't advertise in New Zealand, it still placed its products in movies, said Sneha Paul, spokeswoman for Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).
ASH wants adult ratings for films with smoking scenes, and anti-smoking messages attached to the films' trailers, Ms Paul said.
The organisation also wanted checks in place to ensure the makers of movies with smoking scenes weren't getting "pay-offs" from the tobacco industry.
Ms Paul said cigarette smoking in films misled teens to associate smoking with benefits like relaxation and good looks.
"Hollywood is exporting toxic products and we have a responsibility to stop them," she said.
US research had suggested film portrayals of tobacco use were more "psychologically engaging" than cigarette advertisements, Ms Paul said, and they might have a bigger impact on young people's chances of taking up smoking.
- NZPA
