Philanthro-colonialism: Bloomberg and the WHO

Nerd alert: Here comes another story on tobacco policy. This one looks at what appears to be the undue influence of Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York City, and his philanthropic arm, Bloomberg Philanthropies, on the World Health Organization.

Bloomberg, his foundation and the nonprofits they fund, including the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, crusade against e-cigarettes, particularly those with flavors that appeal to kids. Tobacco-control experts, including most of the former presidents of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, argue for a more balanced approach—one that strives to keep e-cigarettes out of the hands of kids but makes them available to smokers who use them to quit combustible tobacco.

The WHO, as I reported the other day, is a fount of misinformation when it comes to e-cigarettes. The question is, why? Today’s story explores the influence of Bloomberg and his allies on the WHO. Bloomberg Philanthropies also spends considerable sums trying to shape tobacco and vaping policy by directly supporting nonprofits and government regulators in low and middle-income countries; this is why he’s been accused of what’s been called “philanthro-colonialism.”

Mike Cummings, a widely-respected tobacco control expert and a professor at the Medical University of South Carolina, told me:

As an important voice in public health, WHO should be basing its advocacy and communications on science, not emotion and the private view of wealthy donors. Mike Bloomberg is well respected as a champion for public health, including tobacco control, but on the issue of smoking harm reduction, he appears to be blind to the science that is emerging and the real potential to end the deadly epidemic of disease caused using smoked tobacco.

Neither the World Health Organization nor Bloomberg Philanthropies responded to my emails asking

You can read the rest of my story here at Medium.