Almost no US film incentive programs restrict cannabis depictions | Research

The takeaway

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.

Public health media advocates, film policy researchers, tobacco/cannabis control professionals, and youth prevention specialists.

Almost no US film incentive programs restrict cannabis or tobacco depictions

What the researchers 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.

Why it 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 numbers in context

Surveyed US states and localities with film incentive programs. Found almost no programs with cannabis or tobacco depiction restrictions.

How the study worked

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.

What this study cannot 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.

How to read the evidence

Descriptive survey of policy existence. Does not measure outcomes or test whether the policy approach would be effective.

When this study was published

Published 2023.

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.

Questions still open

Would film incentive restrictions actually reduce cannabis depictions? Could this approach be adapted for streaming platforms that receive public subsidies?

Common 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 the original research

Descriptive cross-sectional survey of tobacco and cannabis restrictions on state and local film incentives in the USA.

Tobacco control

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

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