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Legal
State
Federal Court upholds Providence, RI, measures to reduce tobacco sales to kids (RI)
A U.S. District Judge has upheld ordinances in Providence, Rhode Island that protect children from tobacco products. The two ordinances prohibit the sale of flavored non-cigarette tobacco products except in certain adult facilities, and prohibit the use of coupons that make tobacco products cheaper. Tobacco companies Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds fought against these ordinances, stating that the rules violate their right to freedom of commercial speech; however, Judge Mary Lisi did not find these ordinances to be in conflict with the companies’ rights. Providence is one of the first cities in the country to adopt such ordinances to protect children and youth from easily accessing tobacco products. Click here for more details on this ruling, or click here to read the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids’ press release.
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National
US tobacco companies, 17 states settle over payments
Following a long court battle, 17 states have reached a deal in arbitration with Big Tobacco companies over the payments required by the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA). The 1998 court settlement directed tobacco companies to compensate states for the healthcare costs related to tobacco use. Tobacco companies that signed on to the agreement have disputed the amount of money they owe in recent years, after having lost market share to companies did not participate in the MSA. In the latest arbitration deal, Philip Morris, R.J. Reynolds, and Lorillard will receive credits on their future payments, and states that did not sign on to the MSA in 1998 will have the opportunity to enter the settlement. Click here for more information.
Court denies rehearing on cigarette warnings
The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. ruled against a filing from the federal government to review a lower court’s decision that blocked implementation of new graphic health warning labels on cigarette packaging. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had mandated that these labels be placed on cigarette packaging as a way to alert people to the negative health effects of smoking cigarettes, and some of the largest tobacco companies sued to block the warnings from being implemented. The government has ninety days to determine whether to bring the case to the U.S. Supreme court for consideration. Click here to read more.
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