Tobacco emerged as an attorney general issue in the 1990s, when several attorneys general filed lawsuits seeking reimbursement from tobacco companies for money spent treating illnesses caused by smoking. In 1998, they reached a historic agreement with those tobacco companies, resulting in the largest settlement in U.S. history, the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA).
Learn more about the role attorneys general play in enforcing tobacco regulation and other public health risks, including:
- Ensuring tobacco manufacturers comply with the multi-state settlement.
- Enforcing state tobacco laws.
- Resolving disputes over the calculation of payments or adjustments under the MSA.
- Enforcing statutes regulating the marketing and sale of e-cigarettes.
Find out how NAAG supports attorneys general in their work addressing public health challenges.
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- Public Health
- Tobacco and E-cigarettes
