About Us

Purpose 

Smokefree Media aims to end the film and video industries’ long usefulness to the tobacco industry's perpetual pursuit of new smokers. Our evidence-based policy solutions are designed to substantially reduce young audiences' exposure to on-screen smoking and create the strong counter-incentives needed to keep Big Tobacco out of entertainment media.

History

Started and Smokefree Movies by Stanton A. Glantz, PhD, professor of medicine at UCSF, in 2001, in 2020 the project expanded to Smokefree Media in recognition of the growing importance of video content as a vector to spread pro-tobacco images. Smokefree Media works with medical and public health organizations, researchers, government agencies, legal authorities, socially responsible investors, and other partners around the world to improve public policy and film industry practice.  Breathe California Sacramento Region collects the data on film and video content that drives the site.  We welcomes dialogue with film producers, directors, actions, distributors, and exhibitors.

Support 

Smokefree Media is supported in part by grants from Truth Initiative and private donors.

Our thanks

Of the many across the United States and around the world who further Smokefree Media strategies and goals, we wish particularly to acknowledge:

  • Danielle Driscoll, Youth Programs Manager, Breathe California Sacramento Region, who oversees the long-running project Thumbs Up! Thumbs Down! that engages youth from the Sacramento area to collect data on tobacco imagery in top-grossing films. Project leaders since 2001 have included Shelley Mitchell, Anne Iaccopucci, Natalie Lanning, Renata Atayeva, and Claire Garcia.
  • Jonathan Polansky, Onbeyond LLC, for strategic vision, research, leadership and design from the beginning of Smokefree Movies to his retirement in 2020.

Contact us 

Email  

Mail | Smokefree Media (NOTE: This office is closed due to COVID-19; all people are working remotely.)          

University of California San Francisco

Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education

530 Parnassus, Suite 366

Box 1390

San Francisco, CA 94143-1390 USA

Phone | 415-476-4683

Fax | 415-514-9345

Site credits