The fate of the proposed tobacco settlement and, in turn, thehealth and longevity of generations of Americans now lie inthe hands of the Congress. The settlement is the product ofintense negotiations among 40 state attorneys general, a coalitionof trial lawyers, and the tobacco industry itself. Under thecurrent provisions of the settlement, the tobacco industry wouldbe required to pay $368.5 billion to reimburse the various statesfor the cost of providing health care services to people withtobacco-related diseases. The industry would then be allowedto recover that reimbursement through raising the price of cigarettes. . . [Full Text of this Article]
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