Vape shop calls for less smoking on TV

Back in April a study commissioned by Vape Club, ‘the UK's largest online vape shop', claimed that:

1 in 5 ex-smokers have stated that a ban on smoking on pub premises, including pub gardens and outdoor seating, would help them quit the habit for good.

Appearing to support the idea, director Dan Marchant said:

“It’s clear that local authorities and businesses can be really effective agents of change when it comes to encouraging smoking cessation. With the right tools in place, simple measures to promote smoking cessation can make a huge difference to someone’s overall wellbeing, both mentally and physically – as well as reducing the ongoing strain that both smoking and smoking cessation services place on the NHS.”

Now, as part of its ‘Smokefree by 2030’ campaign, the company has turned its attention to 'bad habits' on TV.

Figures reported by Vape Club ... reveals how much pre-watershed TV exposes children to ‘bad habits’.

According to Marchant:

"TV producers need to be responsible when considering whether characters should be depicted smoking, drinking or using drugs. Is it integral to the character?

"In previous years, everyone from detectives and spies to gangsters and soap opera bad boys would be seen smoking, which went a long way towards glamourising the habit.

"But as fewer and fewer people smoke in society, we’re finding that stereotype seems more out of touch."

He added:

"I don’t believe vaping should be shown on screen either, since it’s a smoking cessation method for adults, and equally should not be glamourised in any way.

"But I do believe it’s vital that children and young people are exposed to less smoking on TV, particularly in pre-watershed programming."

For the record here are the current Ofcom rules concerning the depiction of drugs, smoking, solvents and alcohol on TV and radio:

The use of illegal drugs, the abuse of drugs, smoking, solvent abuse and the misuse of alcohol:

- must not be featured in programmes made primarily for children unless there is strong editorial justification;

- must generally be avoided and in any case must not be condoned, encouraged or glamorised in other programmes broadcast before the watershed (in the case of television), when children are particularly likely to be listening (in the case of radio), or when content is likely to be accessed by children (in the case of BBC ODPS) unless there is editorial justification;

- must not be condoned, encouraged or glamorised in other programmes likely to be widely seen, heard or accessed by under-eighteens unless there is editorial justification.

That seems pretty clear and comprehensive to me.

Marchant however wants to go further, although I'm unclear whether he wants less smoking or no smoking on TV.

What is clear is that even though it's rare to see someone smoking on TV before the 9.00pm watershed (I don't watch the soaps so I can't comment on them), anti-smoking activists will only be happy when smoking is banned on all pre-watershed programmes and severely restricted post watershed.

Thanks to streaming of course the old watershed concept is largely redundant because programmes broadcast after 9.00pm can now be watched at any time by almost anyone, parental controls notwithstanding.

I'd like to think common sense will prevail and (children's programmes aside) depictions of smoking, inasmuch as they reflect real life, will always be allowed at the discretion of the director.

Anything else would be unconscionable censorship but for some people that seems a price worth paying if it helps stamp out smoking.

Comments

[Rose2]

"1 in 5 ex-smokers have stated that a ban on smoking on pub premises, including pub gardens and outdoor seating, would help them quit the habit for good."

Because then their customers wouldn't constantly be reminded that a dollop of raw nicotine is no substitute for a complex plant.

[Vinny Gracchus]

Of course the 'vaping' lobby sees only their own profit as having merit. The desire of consumers and especially smokers to chose is secondary to their profit motive.

[Misty]

It would be irritating, to say the least, if no-one were allowed to smoke on TV, primarily because when a programme includes someone smoking, even just a little, one-off scene, that’s usually a sign that it’s been written by a smoker (because it never occurs to non-smokers to include it) and, as pretty much everyone in the literary world privately knows, smokers, quite simply, write the best stuff. So a scene featuring someone smoking a cigarette, even if they are a disreputable or “bad” character or it’s a very brief scene (or maybe just a reference to them smoking elsewhere), is usually a sign that a good programme will ensue. Conversely, a programme which doesn’t show someone smoking, even fleetingly, and even when smoking might be taking place (outside in the present day, or set in the past, for example) within the first few scenes is usually a strong indicator that the programme/series you are about to commit your precious time to watching may well turn out to be a bit of a disappointment one way or another – a disappointing anti-climactic ending, one-dimensional characters, or a story that either fails to grip or sort of wanders off and loses its way or is too far-fetched are all hallmarks of pieces I’ve watched over the years which have clearly been written by non-smokers, because - as non-smokers - they just don't realise what a glaring omission it is not to put smoking in in situations where it would normally be taking place. Or they do realise, but they think that no-one will notice. The kind of series that you see advertised which looks as if it ought to be good, but then just doesn’t quite cut the mustard and you lose interest in or just seem to forget to watch the following episode of. Works for books, too, and is a very handy short-cut when beginning to watch/read something. So stopping any sight or mention of smoking would likely result in a lot of wasted time watching or reading stuff that may not be worth the time. Of course smoking writers would still be able to write their stuff, so there’d still be some good stuff turning up on the TV, but the trouble is, it would be almost impossible to easily tell the difference at such an early stage as it is now. Very annoying!