Almost no US film incentive programs restrict cannabis depictions
A survey of US state and local film incentive programs found almost none had funding restrictions to discourage cannabis or tobacco depictions, despite evidence that media portrayals influence youth initiation.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Virtually no state or local film incentive programs in the US had established funding restrictions to deter cannabis or tobacco depictions, despite evidence linking media exposure to youth substance initiation.
Key Numbers
Surveyed US states and localities with film incentive programs. Found almost no programs with cannabis or tobacco depiction restrictions.
How They Did This
Descriptive cross-sectional survey of state and local film incentive programs across the US. Examined whether programs had established restrictions on tobacco or cannabis depictions as a condition of public funding.
Why This Research Matters
Media depictions of substance use normalize these behaviors for young audiences. Film incentive restrictions represent an untested policy lever for reducing on-screen cannabis and tobacco portrayals.
The Bigger Picture
Tobacco control successfully reduced smoking through multiple policy levers including media restrictions. As cannabis becomes more visible in entertainment media, similar approaches may be warranted to prevent normalization among youth.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Descriptive survey without outcome data. Cannot demonstrate that restricting film incentives would reduce depictions or influence youth behavior. Policy landscape evolves. Does not account for streaming content outside traditional film incentive structures.
Questions This Raises
- ?Would film incentive restrictions actually reduce cannabis depictions?
- ?Could this approach be adapted for streaming platforms that receive public subsidies?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Almost no US film incentive programs restrict cannabis or tobacco depictions
- Evidence Grade:
- Descriptive survey of policy existence. Does not measure outcomes or test whether the policy approach would be effective.
- Study Age:
- Published 2023.
- Original Title:
- Descriptive cross-sectional survey of tobacco and cannabis restrictions on state and local film incentives in the USA.
- Published In:
- Tobacco control (2023)
- Authors:
- Wakefield, Tanner D, Guillory, Jamie, Ling, Pamela(3), Apollonio, Dorie E
- Database ID:
- RTHC-05012
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Do movies affect whether teens try cannabis?
Research shows that tobacco depictions in films are linked to youth smoking initiation. The parallel for cannabis is less studied but plausible based on the same social learning mechanisms. This study looked at whether public film funding could be leveraged to reduce such depictions.
What are film incentive restrictions?
Film incentive programs provide tax credits or other financial incentives to attract movie production to specific states or cities. Restrictions could condition this public money on avoiding or limiting tobacco or cannabis depictions, similar to how some content standards already apply to other public funding.
Read More on RethinkTHC
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-05012APA
Wakefield, Tanner D; Guillory, Jamie; Ling, Pamela; Apollonio, Dorie E. (2023). Descriptive cross-sectional survey of tobacco and cannabis restrictions on state and local film incentives in the USA.. Tobacco control. https://doi.org/10.1136/tc-2023-058197
MLA
Wakefield, Tanner D, et al. "Descriptive cross-sectional survey of tobacco and cannabis restrictions on state and local film incentives in the USA.." Tobacco control, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1136/tc-2023-058197
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Descriptive cross-sectional survey of tobacco and cannabis r..." RTHC-05012. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/wakefield-2023-descriptive-crosssectional-survey-of
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.