AG Rokita Protecting Hoosiers by Holding ‘Big Tobacco’ Accountable

Attorney General Todd Rokita took another step forward in Indiana’s ongoing legal fight to get relief for Hoosiers harmed by the negative side effects of smoking. This also represents one element in the larger effort to help Hoosiers stop smoking and decrease the incidence of youth smoking throughout Indiana. This includes settlement payments from the tobacco companies for victims of smoking, as well as by placing significant restrictions on how tobacco companies can engage in marketing and advertising in Indiana.

Last week Indiana received over $200 million from tobacco product manufacturers under the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement. 

“Thousands of Hoosiers die each year from conditions caused by smoking,” said Attorney General Rokita. “My office is working hard to ensure our kids stay healthy and that they never go down the dangerous path of smoking.”

Under this agreement, the state will receive annual payments as long as the tobacco manufacturers continue selling cigarettes in Indiana. The agreement also forbids participating cigarette manufacturers from targeting youth, imposes restrictions on advertising and promotional activities, and product placement in media, branded merchandise, free product samples, and sponsorships.

The Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement remains the largest civil settlement in U.S. history. Entered in 1998, the agreement involves the four largest US tobacco companies, Phillip Morris Inc., R.J. Reynolds, Brown & Williamson, and Lorillard, and the attorneys general of 46 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The agreement required the companies to pay more than $206b over the course of 25 years. The funds received by Indiana under the settlement agreement go to healthcare, prevention and reduction of smoking.

Cigarettes cause cancer and other diseases, as the Surgeon General first concluded in its historic 1964 report. So, improving Hoosiers’ health remains a priority of the Attorney General, as well as the entire Indiana state leadership team.

For more information on quitting smoking, call Indiana’s Tobacco Quit Line at 1-800-QuitNow.