Michael Bloomberg who himself was once a smoker

The person who has done more to help people stop smoking around the world than any other person is probably New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He has launched numerous campaigns in NYC to prevent smoking and is credited with reducing the number of smokers in the city and improving the health of its citizens.

For his latest initiative he has teamed up with the billionaire Microsoft boss Bill Gates in a $375,000,000 campaign to get the world to stop smoking. Bill Gates has donated $125,000,000 and Michael Bloomberg has put in the other $250,000,000. The money will be used to support projects around the world which help smokers to quit the habit. It will be used to support initiatives that raise tax on tobacco, ban cigarette advertising and prevent smoking in public places. It will also be used for research into understanding why people smoke and into finding out the best ways to get them to quit.

This huge amount of money will be in direct competition to the advertising budgets of cigarette companies who are increasing their sales all over developing countries. Countries like China, Africa and much of Asia have increasing numbers of smokers which easily outweigh the declining smoking numbers in America and in the European Union. Other countries which will be targeted with this antismoking initiative are India, Russia, Indonesia and Bangladesh.

Michael Bloomberg who himself was once a smoker said that he hoped that this donation would not only make a difference to this generation but for future generations too. He has not had a cigarette for over 30 years and is known as a crusading antismoking campaigner who is credited with ground breaking legislation banning smoking in bars and restaurants all over New York. He believes in a proactive attitude to getting people to stop smoking and this generous gift shows that he is certainly able to put his money where his mouth is.