Blowing Smoke: The Lost Legacy of the Surgeon General's Report | Alan Blum | TEDxTuscaloosa
Contrary to popular belief, the war on smoking has not been won. Much of the progress against smoking came in the 1970s to 1990s with unfunded grassroots activism. The very forces that should have been in the vanguard of efforts to end the smoking pandemic - medical and public health associations, pharmaceutical companies, universities, the mass media, and sports, cultural, and political leaders--have not matched their rhetoric with actions. Even today they remain reluctant to bite the hand that feeds them. Both the tobacco industry and the tobacco control industry do now have one credo in common: The most addictive thing about tobacco is money.
Alan Blum, MD, Professor and Gerald Leon Wallace M.D. Endowed Chair in Family Medicine at the University of Alabama, is one of the nation’s foremost authorities on the history of smoking and cigarette marketing. Since 1998 he has directed the Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society, which comprises one of the world’s largest collections on the tobacco industry and the anti-smoking movement. Dr. Blum is a recipient of the Surgeon General’s Medallion, presented by Dr. C. Everett Koop, the first National Public Health Award from the American Academy of Family Physicians, and an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Amherst College for a career dedicated to ending the tobacco pandemic.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at
Dr. Alan Blum on The Health Channel: Smoking Cessation
Dr. Alan Blum discusses the tobacco industry and smoking cessation techniques on The Health Channel.
Alan Blum, MD, Professor and Gerald Leon Wallace M.D. Endowed Chair in Family Medicine at the University of Alabama, is one of the foremost authorities on the history of tobacco use, cigarette marketing, and strategies to end the smoking pandemic. Since 1998 he has directed the Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society, which comprises the world’s largest collection of original documents, artifacts, images and frontline reports on the tobacco industry and the anti-smoking movement.
For more information about DOC or CSTS contact Dr. Alan Blum: ablum@ua.edu
Clip 6/6: Dr. Alan Blum Testifies for HELP Committee
Dr. Alan Blum commenting on the marketing expertise of the tobacco companies before the HELP Committee.
Alan Blum, MD, Professor and Gerald Leon Wallace M.D. Endowed Chair in Family Medicine at the University of Alabama, is one of the foremost authorities on the history of tobacco use, cigarette marketing, and strategies to end the smoking pandemic. Since 1998 he has directed the Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society, which comprises the world’s largest collection of original documents, artifacts, images and frontline reports on the tobacco industry and the anti-smoking movement.
For more information about DOC or CSTS contact Dr. Alan Blum: ablum@ua.edu
Clip 4/6: Dr. Alan Blum Testifies for HELP Committee
Dr. Alan Blum raises concern about efforts which focus solely on regulating nicotine levels before the HELP Committee.
Alan Blum, MD, Professor and Gerald Leon Wallace M.D. Endowed Chair in Family Medicine at the University of Alabama, is one of the foremost authorities on the history of tobacco use, cigarette marketing, and strategies to end the smoking pandemic. Since 1998 he has directed the Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society, which comprises the world’s largest collection of original documents, artifacts, images and frontline reports on the tobacco industry and the anti-smoking movement.
For more information about DOC or CSTS contact Dr. Alan Blum: ablum@ua.edu
Clip 2/6: Dr. Alan Blum Testifies for HELP Committee
Dr. Alan Blum offers his criticism of the approach towards tobacco that prioritizes more research and more regulation over actions to reduce availability and marketing saturation.
Alan Blum, MD, Professor and Gerald Leon Wallace M.D. Endowed Chair in Family Medicine at the University of Alabama, is one of the foremost authorities on the history of tobacco use, cigarette marketing, and strategies to end the smoking pandemic. Since 1998 he has directed the Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society, which comprises the world’s largest collection of original documents, artifacts, images and frontline reports on the tobacco industry and the anti-smoking movement.
For more information about DOC or CSTS contact Dr. Alan Blum: ablum@ua.edu