Indiana receives $136M from tobacco settlement

Indiana continues to receive annual payments from the tobacco industry as part of a Master Settlement Agreement first reached in 1998 with 46 states. Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office says the state last week received a $136 million payment. His office says Indiana will continue to receive annual payments as long as tobacco manufacturers sell cigarettes in the state.

To date, Indiana has received payments totaling $433 million, which goes to healthcare, prevention, and reduction of smoking efforts.

The Tobacco MSA is one of the largest civil settlements in U.S. history. It was negotiated to settle dozens of state lawsuits brought to recover billions of dollars in health care costs associated with treating smoking-related illnesses.

The National Association of Attorneys General says the agreement forbids participating cigarette manufacturers from targeting youth, imposes restrictions on advertising and promotional activities, and product placement in media, branded merchandise, free product samples, and sponsorships.