Attorney General Masto Requests That Tobacco Use Be Explicitly Carved Out From US Trade Agreements


January 28, 2014

45 State Attorneys General Sign on to U.S. Trade Representative Letter Concerning Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement Provisions Relating to Tobacco Regulation

    Las Vegas, NV – Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto joined by 44 state and territorial attorneys general and The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), signed on to a letter requesting the United States Trade Representative (USTR) adopt a position that preserves the ability for state and local governments to continue to regulate tobacco products to protect public health.
     
    The USTR is in the final stages of negotiation on the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, which addresses tobacco regulation at the federal and local levels.
     
    “It is imperative that the state maintain the ability implement and enforce laws and regulations relating to tobacco products,” said Masto.
     
    Research has shown that state and local laws and regulations may be challenged by tobacco companies that aggressively assert claims under bilateral and multilateral trade and investment agreements, either directly under investor-state provisions or indirectly by instigating and supporting actions by countries that are parties to such agreements. Such agreements can enable these tobacco companies to challenge federal, state, and local laws and regulations under standards and in forums that would not be available under United States law.
     
    Click here to read letter to the USTP.

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