Since its launch 10 years ago, the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco has changed the trajectory of the tobacco epidemic, saving the lives and improving the health of millions of people.
It has supported the implementation of proven tobacco control laws and policies in 59 countries, reaching 3.5 billion people and saving an estimated 30 million lives. After rising inexorably, cigarette sales worldwide have finally started to fall.
The Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use is likely to have saved more lives, more quickly, and have as great an impact on the health of people around the world as any other public health initiative ever carried out.
Tobacco use currently kills six million people worldwide each year and if left unchecked, would otherwise kill one billion people this century.
This new commitment will expand and accelerate implementation of proven, evidence-based strategies to reduce tobacco use, with a focus on low- and middle-income countries that will account for 80% of the world’s tobacco-related deaths by 2030.
Particular emphasis will be on reducing the affordability of tobacco products, which is one of the most effective ways to prevent kids from starting to use tobacco and encourage tobacco users to quit.
The Bloomberg Initiative spans more than 110 countries and has been the catalyst for life-saving change across the globe. Since its launch, 44 countries have enacted comprehensive smoke-free laws; 34 countries have enacted comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship; and 98 countries and eight jurisdictions have required graphic health warnings covering at least 30% of the cigarette pack.
Thursday, March 27, 2025
