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Attorney General Clark to Lead National Group of Attorneys General in Tobacco Enforcement, Including Vaping

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June 27, 2024

Clark joined by Louisiana Attorney General

Attorney General Charity Clark today announced she has been appointed co-chair of the National Association of Attorneys General’s (NAAG’s) “Tobacco Committee.” The primary mission of the Tobacco Committee is to lead a coalition of 52 state and territory attorneys general in their efforts to enforce, defend, administer, and improve the tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA). Importantly, the Tobacco Committee also provides leadership for all members on tobacco matters not directly related to the MSA, including vaping. Attorney General Clark will be joined in co-chairing this bipartisan group of attorneys general with Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill.

Attorney General Clark offered the following in response to her appointment:

“As Attorney General, I have heard the pleas of Vermont’s parents, teachers, and health care providers that we must do more to address the youth vaping crisis in our state. Our children are facing a crisis reminiscent of the challenges we faced against Big Tobacco for many decades. As co-chair of this national group of attorneys general, I am proud to provide needed leadership to hold accountable companies that are perpetuating harms against our kids and fueling this crisis.”

In May, Attorney General Clark announced that Vermont had received more than $24 million in 2024 from an ongoing settlement with tobacco manufacturers under the MSA. Annually, Vermont receives monies from tobacco manufacturers from the MSA, which resolved the State’s lawsuit filed in the 1990’s.

Attorney General Clark has accused the vaping industry of pushing the next generation of Vermonters toward addictive nicotine products, including flavored vapes designed to appeal to kids. She looks forward to collaborating with other state attorneys general, as well as legislative leadership and the administration in Vermont, to hold the industry accountable for the harms they are perpetuating against a new generation of young people facing a lifetime of addiction to these products.

More information regarding the MSA and its provisions are available here. Resources on quitting tobacco, vaping, and nicotine are available here.

 

 

CONTACT:   Lauren Jandl, Chief of Staff, 802-828-3171