Michael Bloomberg will spend $20million to launch watchdog fighting tobacco companies that 'aim to get people hooked on cigarettes'

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Michael Bloomberg has announced a plan to spend $20million to launch a watchdog to detect and expose deceptive practices by the tobacco industry.

The monitor, to be called Stopping Tobacco Organizations and Products (STOP), will seek to counter the industry's influence by publishing reports detailing pro-smoking activities and tactics.

It will also support non-profit organizations and government to resist interference from the tobacco industry.

Speaking on Wednesday, Bloomberg, an ambassador for the World Health Organization (WHO) on noncommunicable diseases, said: 'Over the last decade tobacco control measures have saved nearly 35 million lives, but as more cities and countries take action, the tobacco industry is pushing to find new users, particularly among young people.

'We cannot stand by as the industry misleads the public in an effort to get more people hooked on its products - and this global watchdog will help us hold the industry accountable.'

Philanthropist Michael Bloomberg (seen above at UN headquarters in New York on March 5) announced on Wednesday that he will spend $20million to launch a watchdog to detect and expose deceptive practices by the tobacco industry

Bloomberg's charitable giving organization, Bloomberg Philanthropies, accuses the tobacco industry of seeking to legitimize itself in the eyes of policy makers, of marketing to children, and pushing cigarette alternatives for which the health case remains inconclusive.

Bloomberg, who made his fortune selling financial data, has given more than a billion dollars since 2007 to curb global tobacco use, which claims nearly seven million lives every year.

Along with WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and South African Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, Bloomberg will on Wednesday launch the World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Cape Town.

Research on the tobacco industry, published in peer-reviewed journals, has portrayed a decades-long strategy to defend the industry against health campaigners.

Bloomberg's charitable giving organization accuses the tobacco industry of seeking to legitimize itself in the eyes of policy makers, of marketing to children, and pushing cigarette alternatives for which the health case remains inconclusive. An anti-smoking ad is seen above

Investigators say tactics have included casting doubt on the scientific evidence of the perils of smoking, promoting brands through product placement in movies and aggressively marketing tobacco in low- and middle-income countries where smoking laws are weak.

Bloomberg has long been a proponent of placing limits on consumer goods that are hazardous to people's health. 

In 2014, New York State's highest court struck down a proposal first initiated by then-New York City Mayor Bloomberg to ban sugary soft drinks that come in bottles that hold more than 16 ounces. 

The courts ruled that New York City had exceeded its authority and violated the principle of separation of powers in instituting the ban.

The court's decision was hailed by soda makers and beverage manufacturers who pledged to reduce the amount of sugar and calories that are in their products.