TOPEKA, Kan. (Legal Newsline) — Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced Nov. 6 that his office has finally resolved a years-long negotiation over a dispute with tobacco companies related to how the 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) should be implemented.
Kansas and 19 other states reached an agreement in principle in 2012 with the tobacco companies. Additional states joined the term sheet at a later date, bringing the number of settling states to 26. The term sheet, however, was broad in its statements and failed to set forth important details on how to resolve the debate. All parties involved finally have come to an agreement on how to execute the term sheet.
“This tedious negotiation has produced a workable product that will put Kansas on solid footing to comply with the MSA going forward,” Schmidt said. “We will work with our partners in state government to diligently enforce our obligations under this settlement and under the original MSA.”
Schmidt’s office noted that, since 2015, Kansas has been working to come into compliance with tobacco rules.