Dave Dobbins joined the American Legacy Foundation as an in-house attorney helping defend it against a lawsuit by Lorillard Tobacco Company seeking to stop the Truth youth anti-smoking campaign. In 2007, he was promoted to chief operating officer of the organization, a role he retained when the organization changed its name to Truth Initiative in 2015. In that role, he was involved in all aspects of the organization but, in particular, was an organizational lead on its approach to tobacco control policy.
Having been involved with tobacco policy for over 20 years, Dobbins has seen tremendous evolution of the tobacco control landscape, including the current internecine conflict consuming tobacco control over the introduction of new, safer nicotine-delivery systems.
As a person who formerly worked for an organization with a primary focus on youth, Dobbins hopes to bring a unique and hopefully moderating perspective to that ongoing debate. In furtherance of that goal, he began consulting with Altria in 2023 to help them secure the ability to market reduced risk products so that adult smokers will have access to less risky options. Dobbins is currently acting as a consultant to Altria.
