In this gripping lecture delivered at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Robert Proctor labels cigarettes as “the deadliest artifact in human history” and makes a bold case for their complete abolition. Drawing from his groundbreaking book Golden Holocaust, Proctor unpacks the tobacco industry’s long-standing efforts to manufacture doubt, suppress truth, and profit off global addiction.

This is more than a history lesson—it’s a call to action. Whether you’re a smoker, a policymaker, a student, or someone who is simply curious about how a single product has claimed over 100 million lives in the last century, this video will challenge everything you thought you knew about cigarettes and addiction.

Why This Video Matters:
Despite decades of public awareness campaigns, cigarettes remain legal and widely available. Proctor argues that it is time to shift the conversation from harm reduction to eradication. The video provides viewers with historical, ethical, and scientific arguments for why abolition—not regulation—is the only just path forward.

Key Topics Covered Include:
✔️ The origins of cigarette manufacturing and mass marketing
✔️ Tobacco’s impact on global health and mortality
✔️ How the industry hid the dangers of smoking
✔️ The psychological tactics used to normalize cigarettes
✔️ The role of experts, lawyers, and media in sustaining addiction
✔️ The moral case for cigarette abolition