Senator John Ensign released the following statement addressing the National Cancer Institute’s findings on what fuels a young person’s decision to start smoking:

“Unfortunately, the findings of the National Cancer Institute report come as no surprise. For years, I have been fighting to shed light on the role the entertainment industry plays in youth smoking and, while considerable efforts have been made to curtail the influence of smoking in popular culture, today’s study reveals that there remains much to be done.

“Throughout the past years, I have led efforts to ban smoking from movies that are targeted to children and young adults.  I am pleased that both the Hallmark Channel and the Walt Disney Company have taken the initiative to prohibit smoking in their movies to protect our children and Hollywood has begun to use its rating system to shield children from glamorized or excessive smoking by rating a film ‘R’.

“The National Cancer Institute report, however, outlines the need for more action.  I look forward to continuing my efforts to end popular culture’s hold over children when they are contemplating whether to light up and start a lifetime of tobacco dependency and health risk.” 

The National Cancer Institute report finds that images of smoking in movies and advertising campaigns are directly linked to a young person’s decision to start smoking.  The Centers for Disease Control has further found that nearly 4,000 young people a day make the decision to light their first cigarette.