And the Oscar goes to…the tobacco industry
WASHINGTON, March 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Truth Initiative®, the national public health organization inspiring lives free from smoking, vaping and nicotine, released data on the pervasive tobacco imagery in this year's Oscar nominated films. Of the 10 films nominated for Best Picture, 80% featured smoking and vaping depictions including, "Don't Look Up," "CODA," "Drive My Car," "King Richard," "Licorice Pizza," "Nightmare Alley," "The Power of the Dog" and "West Side Story." Of all the feature film nominees across categories, 61% depicted tobacco use, including the box office hits: "The Lost Daughter," "No Time to Die," and "House of Gucci."
- Many of this years' Oscar nominated films , which appeal to youth and young adults, point to a troubling trend of the renormalization and glamorization of tobacco use in entertainment media and pop culture.
- This is cause for concern given the ongoing youth e-cigarette epidemic and the role that smoking and vaping imagery plays in initiating youth tobacco use.
- According to the 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey , more than two million high school and middle school students used e-cigarettes.
- The truth about tobacco and the tobacco industry are at the heart of our proven-effective and nationally recognized truth public education campaign.