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In a blockbuster show of billionaires believing in public health, Bill Gates and Mayor Bloomberg will spend $500 million on anti-smoking initiatives around the world. Five million people die from tobacco-related illnesses each year.
Mayor Bloomberg, a former smoker who has helped implement a smoking ban in NYC's restaurants and bars in 2003. The $500 million number comes from the $125 million he gave to the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use in 2005, his promise yesterday to spend $250 million over 4 years on the effort, plus $125 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Bloomberg said at the press conference, “All the money in the world will never eradicate tobacco. But this partnership underscores how much the tide is turning against this deadly epidemic."
Gates pointed out that China produces a third of the world's cigarettes--and where "67 percent of men and 57 percent of doctors smoke"--and that there are no stop-smoking programs in Africa, “Tobacco-caused diseases have emerged as one of the greatest health challenges facing developing countries. The good news is, we know what it takes to save millions of lives, and where efforts exist, they are working."
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they should just buy out all the tobacco companies and shut them down?
they should just buy out all the tobacco companies and shut them down.
between these two dudes financials, that's like 2% of the US's GDP in a single room. Scary and amazing.
Shutting smoking down in China will be a sisyphean undertaking. It's not only a social activity, but business networking factor as well.
But hey, if my 99 year-old grams could quit into her 80s after smoking for probably six decades, anything's possible.
Doesn't tobacco curb overpopulation? Imagine 5 million extra people around every year. That's a lot of food, energy, and garbage used and produced.
Of course, death is sad. I wouldn't want any of my loved ones to die. But 5 million extra people. damn.
I think they'd be better off giving out the $500 mil to the poorest people in the world.
Other than the smart-ass opening line, good story.
"Shutting down smoking in China will be a Sisyphean undertaking."
Totally agree, especially when you consider what many chinese inhale on a daily basis. In fact, one could argue that in certain cities in China, cigarette smoke might actually be healthier than the sooted air.
How will all that tax revenue obtained by penalizing 'evil' smokers be replaced?
All the money in the world will never eradicate tobacco.
Maybe not, but it could put tobacco on the run. With all your money, you can bribe the necessary congressmen and get the tobacco subsidies revoked. That would make it much less profitable for the farmers to grow the death weed. Maybe they might even turn to growing useful things, like corn or soybeans. With grocery prices rising because of tight grain supplies today, this could kill two birds with one stone.