Attorney General Charity Clark has been appointed co-chair of the National Association of Attorneys General’s (NAAG) “Tobacco Committee.” The committee's primary mission 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). Additionally, the Tobacco Committee provides leadership on tobacco matters not directly related to the MSA, including vaping.
Attorney General Clark will co-chair this bipartisan group alongside Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill. In response to her appointment, Clark stated: “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 funds from tobacco manufacturers as part of the MSA, which resolved the State’s lawsuit filed in the 1990s.
Clark has accused the vaping industry of pushing Vermonters toward addictive nicotine products, including flavored vapes designed to appeal to children. She looks forward to collaborating with other state attorneys general and legislative leadership in Vermont to hold the industry accountable for perpetuating harm against a new generation at risk of lifelong addiction.