The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has stressed the need to include warning messages about the dangers of tobacco use in movie scenes that depict smoking. CISLAC’s Senior Programme Manager, Solomon Adoga, made the call during a multi-stakeholder engagement organised by the NGO with support from Tax Justice Network Africa on tobacco taxation in Gombe State.
Addressing the audience, which included civil society organisations, traditional leaders, and journalists, Mr. Adoga emphasised the power of media, particularly films, in changing societal norms and behaviours. He emphasised that young people are more vulnerable to the influences depicted in movies, making it critical for filmmakers to underline the consequences of depicted actions.
“If we have films portraying acts of smoking, you can be sure that that may also influence young people. We understand that movies portray life, and if you want to portray some characters, you have to depict them in their true form. But what is important is to take lessons from best practices,” he stated.
He therefore suggested health warnings where smoking occurs in movie scenes.
“Recognising that these can influence young people, we expect that scenes that have smoking should carry health warnings at that time. This is done in Bollywood,” he suggested.
Mr. Adoga added that the meeting’s goal was to educate attendees on the importance of collectively advocating for high tobacco taxes to significantly reduce public use.
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