Okay, I know that the American Library Association has a policy of permitting anyone of any age to view movies of any "suggested" rating and that cable doesn't restrict R rated films to nighttime anymore but just how many kids see his films?
He sees two threats, second hand smoke and kids who take up smoking to emmulate onscreen characters. His solution for second hand smoke is to ban all smoking. His solution for emmulation is to stop "glorifying" cigarettes.
True, his screenplays are rated R and NC-17 and are not to be viewed by "a 12-or 14-year-old". Then why not permit the characters on screen to smoke?
And if these kids are exposed to actors smoking, then they're exposed (literally) to all the rest. This is good? He is glamorizing more than smoking in his screenplays.
Keep in mind that is already illegal for "a 12-or 14-year-old" to puchase cigarettes. It is not as though society condones smoking by this group -- it's not kids smoking on the screen. How much clearer can the message be? Smoking is legal for adults only.