FRANKFORT, Ky. (Legal Newsline) – Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear announced April 20 that the state received millions from tobacco settlement money.
The total amount received was $93,415,537, a press release from Beshear's office stated.
“For nearly 20 years, the landmark Master Settlement Agreement has made a positive impact on the Commonwealth, supporting early childhood education, health programs, cancer research, and helping to aid our farmers and create sustainable farm-based businesses,” Beshear said. “Since the first payment in 1999, Kentucky has collected over $2 billion under the agreement, and is on pace to collect nearly $3 billion over the first 25 years of the agreement.”
Beshear’s office monitors and enforces the terms of the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) and the related statutes. "Since 1998, tobacco companies have had to compensate states for medical costs associated with tobacco-related illnesses," Beshear's office stated in the release.
A formula dictated in part by the number of cigarettes sold in each state determines the payouts each year.
Each state decides what to do with its portion of the funding. In Kentucky, half of the MSA funds go toward agricultural diversification. Additional revenue goes toward improving the health outcomes of Kentucky children and their families.