"We cannot stand by as the industry misleads the public in an effort to get more people hooked on its products -- and this global watchdog will help us hold the industry accountable," Bloomberg said |
Philanthropist
Michael Bloomberg announced on Wednesday that he will spend $20 million (16.13
million euros) to launch a watchdog to detect and expose deceptive practices by
the tobacco industry.
The
monitor, to be called Stopping Tobacco Organizations and Products (STOP), will
seek to counter the industry's influence by publishing reports detailing
pro-smoking activities and tactics.
It will
also support non-profit organisations and government to resist interference
from the tobacco industry.
"Over
the last decade tobacco control measures have saved nearly 35 million lives,
but as more cities and countries take action, the tobacco industry is pushing
to find new users, particularly among young people," said Bloomberg, an
ambassador for the World Health Organization (WHO) on noncommunicable diseases.
"We
cannot stand by as the industry misleads the public in an effort to get more
people hooked on its products -- and this global watchdog will help us hold the
industry accountable."
Bloomberg's charitable giving organisation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, accuses the tobacco industry of seeking to legitimise itself in the eyes of policymakers, marketing to children, and pushing cigarette alternatives for which the health case remains inconclusive.
Research on the tobacco industry, published in peer-reviewed journals, has portrayed a decades-long strategy to defend the industry against health campaigners |
Bloomberg's charitable giving organisation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, accuses the tobacco industry of seeking to legitimise itself in the eyes of policymakers, marketing to children, and pushing cigarette alternatives for which the health case remains inconclusive.
Bloomberg,
who made his fortune selling financial data, has given more than a billion
dollars since 2007 to curb global tobacco use, which claims nearly seven
million lives every year.
Along with
WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and South African Health Minister Aaron
Motsoaledi, Bloomberg will on Wednesday launch the World Conference on Tobacco
or Health in Cape Town.
Research on
the tobacco industry, published in peer-reviewed journals, has portrayed a
decades-long strategy to defend the industry against health campaigners.
Investigators
say tactics have included casting doubt on the scientific evidence of the
perils of smoking, promoting brands through product placement in movies and
aggressively marketing tobacco in low- and middle-income countries where smoking
laws are weak.
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