US: States Negotiate Restrictions

Mike Moore – Mississippi Attorney General – has stated that negotiators in tobacco settlement talks had reached agreement on a list of public health objectives but that no pact is expected quickly. If there was no progress, Moore said he would prepare the first state case scheduled for trial against the tobacco industry seeking billions of dollars in compensation for treating smoking-related illnesses. The trial is set to start on 7 July. Moore added that in the negotiations the Attorneys General had reached agreement on several issues, including an end to tobacco advertising except in adult-only magazines and behind the counter; development of industry-funded anti-smoking campaigns; and pledges to reduce teenage smoking. He also said that the discussions, if successful, would far exceed the scope of the moves by the FTC against RJ Reynolds (see above), by banning practically all forms of tobacco advertising.