LOS ANGELES – You've seen the no-smoking signs at neighborhood theaters. Get ready to install one in your TV set.
Beginning with the December release of "Clerks II," the Weinstein Co. will begin placing anti-smoking public service announcements in DVD releases of its films.
"As a former smoker, I feel like it's my responsibility to do everything I can to educate young people about the dangers of smoking," Harvey Weinstein said Tuesday. "We really hope this initiative will have an impact with viewers across the country."
Weinstein and brother Bob decided to start inserting the anti-smoking messages at the request of the attorneys general of more than 40 states. The messages are being produced by the American Legacy Foundation, an organization created by a 1998 tobacco litigation agreement.
The attorneys general made their request in a letter delivered last month to 13 major motion picture companies. The Weinstein Co. was the first to respond.
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