A new comprehensive report conducted by the U.S. National Cancer Institute and the World Health Organization provides powerful evidence about the economic implications of tobacco use, manufacturing, trade and global tobacco control efforts. Tobacco use is a significant contributor to life-threatening, non-communicable diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease and stroke. Globally, there are 1.1 billion tobacco smokers age 15 or older whose tobacco use burdens economies with more than $1 US trillion in healthcare costs. As WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and injury Prevention, Michael R. Bloomberg commented:
“Tobacco use remains one of the world’s leading causes of preventable death, and increasingly, the health and economic burden is borne by the poorest countries and people. By accelerating the adoption of the many cost-effective tobacco control policies available today, we can save millions of lives.”
Mike Bloomberg has been a strong advocate for tobacco control as a philanthropist and Mayor of New York City. Through Bloomberg Philanthropies, he has invested nearly $1 billion to support the implementation of proven tobacco control policies around the world. With this support, 39 countries have passed comprehensive smoke-free laws; 32 countries have passed laws requiring graphic warning labels on tobacco packages; and 22 nations have passed bans on tobacco advertising and sponsorship.
