Nothing gets New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg going like a good smoking ban. Luckily for him, he’s got good reason to break out the celebratory salt shakers and Big Gulps tonight. On his website, Nanny Bloomberg praised the Socialist Republic of Vietnam for adopting a “comprehensive tobacco control bill.”
I want to congratulate Vietnam for officially going smoke-free. Last week, Vietnam adopted a comprehensive tobacco control law which makes virtually all public places 100% smoke-free and requires vivid health warnings on all tobacco packages. These are proven practices that Bloomberg Philanthropies advocates through its work to reduce tobacco use,” said Michael Bloomberg. “Tobacco control is a key initiative of Bloomberg Philanthropies because we know reducing smoking and exposure to second hand smoke saves lives. This significant step in Vietnam, where we have been working since 2007, is encouraging for tobacco control efforts globally. I visited Vietnam in March and spoke with the Prime Minister about this important issue and I want to applaud him and the other government leaders for their strong commitment to saving lives and standing up for the health of the people of Vietnam.
Sure, Vietnam’s authoritarian government has a history of censoring online activity and suppressing political dissent. But never mind that. At least those icky dissenters who smoke won’t be lighting up in their prison cells.
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