Is Botswana’s tobacco Control bill 2021 being pushed by a powerful few in smoke-filled rooms in Washington? Incredible, but probable. A section in Botswana’s Tobacco Control Bill 2021, which outlaws the use of vaping and electronic cigarettes, has once again sparked global uproar, with industry players accusing billionaire anti-tobacco crusader Michael Bloomberg of using the campaign to push his personal business interests.
This after it emerged that Bloomberg, Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates have interests in the vaping business through a venture capital consortium called Village Global. The billionaires have provided seed capital to a start-up called Hava Health, which produces a vaporizer called the “Hale” – presented as a healthier alternative to smoking.
Bloomberg has been accused of using regulatory capture to implement draconian bans and limitations on the use of tobacco and harassing youth innovators who he sees as competitors in the vaping business. In his recent documentary “You don’t know nicotine,” sociologist and filmmaker Aaron Biebert not only warns about Bloomberg’s questionable investments, but also posits that the media mogul’s attempts to ban vaping through tobacco control laws are actually aimed at creating a favourable environment for his own product.
BOTSWANA – VAPES & E-CIGARETTES
Bloomberg and Gates have infiltrated Africa through the African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA), a network of civil society organizations (CSOs) that has a presence in 39 countries. Part of their mandate is to assist partners at country level to draft tobacco control legislation and policy; mount discrediting campaigns against the tobacco industry and provide technical assistance to affiliates and governments through the Ministries of Health. In its website, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation brags that since 2008 it has pumped US$376 million into supporting its strategic partners in Africa, China, and Southeast Asia; meant to “lead national campaigns, conduct domestic research and provide technical assistance to governments.”
The Foundation describes Bloomberg Philanthropies as a key partner in its work. As far back as 2016, Botswana’s Anti-Tobacco Network (ATN), led by Professor Bontle Mbongwe, had received over US$64, 000 to intensify its advocacy campaign to accelerate the passage and implementation of the Tobacco Control Act 2021.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation also revealed that they are tracking policy implications on the increasing use and marketing of novel tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. Botswana seems to be dancing to Bloomberg and Bill Gates’ tune, as the Tobacco Control Bill 2021 disallows vapes and e-cigarettes. Part 1 of the Tobacco Control Bill defines a “tobacco product” as any product that is made of tobacco leaf, but goes on to include electronic cigarettes and non-nicotine delivery devices.
In response, the local tobacco industry has called for separate regulation of e-cigarettes and vapers in the Tobacco Control Bill 2021.
The industry shot down the Tobacco Control Bill 2021, saying it utterly ignores emerging evidence that vapers and e-cigarettes can reduce harm. In fact, the industry quoted Public Health England as stating that e-cigarettes are at least 95 percent less harmful than smoking.
The industry accused the Ministry of Health of pushing for severe restrictions on e-cigarettes while ignoring their public health benefit as a reduced risk alternative to combustible tobacco for smokers – as evidenced in countries like the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
“The weight of current scientific evidence points in favour of encouraging smokers to switch to e-cigarettes as an important component of a public harm reduction strategy,” said the local business community.
WHY THE VAPING PHOBIA?
Globally, Bloomberg Philanthropies stands accused of pursuing tobacco control policies that are detrimental to the health outcomes of ordinary people. The Philanthropy’s efforts to clamp down on novel vaping products and e-cigarettes has raised eye brows as they do not contain tobacco and have proven to be instrumental in getting smokers to quit.
In direct competition with the all-powerful tobacco industry, vaping devices are innovative products produced by small companies out of Asia and Europe. In response to the rise in the use of vaping devices and e-cigarettes, the global tobacco control complex, financed by Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, sought to eradicate vaping through a series of well drafted bills, gifts to health departments and questionable foreign funding of domestic civil society and political campaigns.
Michael Bloomberg, Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates have reportedly provided seed capital to a company that produces Hale a product that, like vaping, is presented as a healthier alternative to smoking. This has sparked serious uproar in the global tobacco industry, with some accusing Bloomberg of employing a pincer strategy that involves pushing for draconian laws and limitations on the one hand and harassment of young innovators on the other. Known as regulatory capture, this strategy is often employed by the powerful to eliminate competition and create conducive conditions for their businesses. Could Bloomberg and Gates be doing the same by pushing for draconian tobacco control laws in developing economies like Botswana, where vaping and the use of hubbly have taken off amongst the youth?
QUESTIONABLE FUNDING?
As confirmed in their websites, Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have been pursuing a paternalistic strategy that involves financing a constellation of NGOs, capturing supranational organisations like the WHO and controlling national governments through strategic financing. Examples of how their tentacles of influence have permeated the high echelons of power in some of the most sophisticated nations abound.
Bloomberg Philanthropies suffered serious harm in the Philippines after a federal investigation revealed that a Bloomberg-affiliated charity had paid health regulators hundreds of thousands of dollars to push a bill that outlawed vaping devices. At the same time, Congress complained that the law was passed with minimal debate. In Mexico, it emerged that a CTFK staff lawyer drafted the law that restricted imports and sales of vaping devices. It is alleged that a member of the health committee of the Mexican Chamber of Deputies, contracted the charity to “advise” on the law. However, Legislators were left with egg on their faces when they submitted the draft Bill still with the name of the CTFK lawyer. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi severed ties with Bloomberg Philanthropies and instituted investigations into foreign NGO influence on tobacco control policies in the country. This was after domestic intelligence raised concerns that Bloomberg Philanthropies was targeting India’s $5billion per annum tobacco industry.
SIDELINING
In Botswana, hardly had the ink dried on the Tobacco Control Bill 2021before the WHO gave Professor Mbongwe an award for her role in advocating for tobacco control laws. WHO did not miss a beat, as Minister of Health & Wellness Dr. Edwin Dikoloti was then elected as First Vice Chair for the WHO Regional Committee for Africa. These developments lent credence to global concerns that the supranational body was a stooge of Bloomberg Philanthropies. Dikoloti and Mbongwe had worked closely together to push for the enactment of the Tobacco Control Bill 2021, completely side-lining the tobacco industry and business community while splashing tons of cash on a media charm offensive, taking up hours of radio airplay and acres of newsprint to push their agenda.
In fact, the Tobacco Control Bill 2021 excludes any tobacco industry player from sitting on the Tobacco Control Committee. While it has repeatedly maintained its support for regulation, the tobacco industry insists that such regulation should be balanced and fair, with robust consultations across the value chain.
“Any regulation that attempts to unlawfully and selectively exclude industry from legitimate interactions with government is in direct contravention of the constitution of Botswana and this will only bring about unintended consequences. An impartial and independent Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) is the ONLY solution to balanced regulations as it will ensure robust consultation across the value-chain,” said representatives of the tobacco industry.
