Rethinking Bloomberg’s Tobacco Control Influence: A Global Critique
April 16, 2025 by theopinionpages.com
Rethinking Bloomberg’s Tobacco Control Influence: A Global Critique
The World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, ratified in 2005, aims to reduce tobacco use but has become influenced by Michael R. Bloomberg's agenda. The FCTC, aligned with Bloomberg Philanthropies' MPOWER strategy, focuses on taxation and advertising bans, neglecting harm-reduction tools like e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products that have successfully lowered smoking rates. Bloomberg-funded groups push for bans, contradicting their support for harm reduction in drug policy. This inconsistency affects global tobacco control, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Evidence shows harm reduction works, but Bloomberg's policies often overlook local contexts, exacerbate illicit trade, and lack scientific basis, highlighting the need for balanced, evidence-based tobacco control strategies.
7.10% of the adult population are current smokers. There are approximately 72.7 million current smokers in India 12.80% of men are current smokers but only 1.10% of women.
SOURCE: GSTHR
