Bill Gates Fights Global Tobacco Addiction
The billionaires Bill Gates and NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg have combined $500 million to help governments around the world to curb tobacco addiction. The task at hand couldn't be on a grander scale. If nothing is done against global tobacco use, by the end of the century, 1 billion people will have died of their addiction, Bloomberg says.
The Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who is also backing scientific research to cure the world's worst diseases such as AIDS and malaria, is now investing to battle the smoking epidemic that kills even more people, especially in developing countries like China, South-East Asia and Africa.
The joining of forces with Bloomberg is Gates first full-time event as philanthropist, since his departure from Microsoft, last month.
Rather than fighting the tobacco companies directly or waiting for a scientific breakthrough, "the challenge here is really more about policy and getting society energized," Gates said.
Using proven strategies, large-scale tobacco addiction is entirely preventable.
The two billionaires first discussed a joint anti-smoking program during a dinner at Gates' Medina mansion, last year.
Follow this initiative on Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation website.
More like this
Finally Some Good News! Gene Linked to Increased Addiction Risk Also Linked to Extreme Longevity
Researchers say that people with the DRD4 7R gene are at an increased risk of ADHD and addiction but also more likely to live to extreme old age.
Still Smoking? Your Brain May Be Defective
About a third of us have a genetic malfunction which disables our ability to regulate nicotine consumption. Those of us with this particular genetic abnormality are at a greatly increased risk of nicotine addiction.
Seniors, Even Those in Their 80s, That Quit Smoking Are Less Likely to Die a Premature Death
Researchers say, no matter how old you are, your risk of early death falls dramatically after you quit smoking.
WHO Says That Americans Are the World's Biggest Drug Users
In a new report, the WHO has released statistics that show how little effect punitive drug laws seem to have on drug experimentation rates.
Cheese Heroin Addicts in Dallas Now as Young as 9 Years Old
Police say that the average cheese heroin user in Dallas is getting younger, and doctors confess that they just don't know how to treat an addiction in those as young as 9.