States ask Hollywood to include anti-smoking spots on DVDs

The Boston Globe reports:

Hoping to reduce teen smoking, attorneys general from more than 35 states on Thursday offered movie studios free use of three public-service announcements to be included on DVDs and videos.


The move came nearly a year after 32 attorneys general sent a similar letter urging studios to add PSAs to home-viewing releases that depict smoking.

"I was deeply disappointed by the industry's failure to heed our initial call," Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said in a statement.

"We urge movie makers to do the right thing and include these powerful and persuasive anti-smoking ads on all DVDs and videos that depict tobacco use," he said.

There's not much evidence to show these anti-smoking campaigns work.The significant point is:government officials feel they have a right to tell an industry what kind of product to put out.I guess not everyone is for free speech.Speaking of free speech here's Democratic Senators reminding ABC that Big Brother isn't too happy with the concept.