Bloomberg puts up $125m to combat smoking
MICHAEL Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, has revealed he is going to use $125 million (£66 million) of his own money for a new anti-smoking campaign that he says will target tobacco worldwide.
Mr Bloomberg's fortune is estimated at $5.1 billion, making him the world's 112th wealthiest person. He already gives away millions of dollars each year to benefit medical research, arts groups and education, among other causes.
A former smoker who outlawed smoking in bars and restaurants during his first term in office, he will now spread $125 million to existing anti-smoking organisations over the next two years, to implement his crusade.
The key elements include money for programmes that help smokers quit as well as educate and prevent children from starting; funds to push for smoking bans and higher tobacco taxes in other cities and countries; and money for a system to track global tobacco use and the effectiveness of anti-smoking efforts.
The campaign mirrors what Mr Bloomberg already has begun. In addition to the smoking ban, New York's health department runs an aggressive programme focused on quitting. Nearly 1.2 million New Yorkers smoke, and health officials have given out thousands of nicotine patches.
In a statement yesterday, the mayor said he was making "a social investment".
"It's based on my experience that with better data, more focused public health interventions and heightened political advocacy, governments will enact policies that have huge health, social and economic benefits," he said.
