MD Attorney General Steps-Up Effort to Halt Internet Cigarette Sales [04/04-5]

Excerpts from: Maryland Attorney General Steps-Up Effort to Stop Illegal Sale of Cigarettes Over Internet

By Jennifer Linchy The Sentinel Newspapers [04/ 04/04]



Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr. announced late last week that his office, along with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), would join forces with credit card companies to prevent the illegal sale of cigarettes over the Internet.

Attorney General Curran Jr. said several credit card companies have adopted policies prohibiting the use of their cards for online cigarette purchases, which were illegal under Maryland law, and have agreed to take action against sellers who accept their credit cards for such purchases.

"We need private industries to help...and that is what is happening now," Curran said.

Consumers May Be Entitled to Cash Recovery for Antidepressant

Maryland consumers who bought the antidepressant drug Remeron and its generic equivalent Mirtazapine may be entitled to a cash recovery based on their out-of-pocket expenses, the Maryland Attorney General said late last week.

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr. said the cash entitlement was a result of a $36 million nationwide settlement with drug company Organon USA Inc. and its parent company Akzo Nobel N.V. for preventing inexpensive, generic equivalents of the drug to be available to consumers.

Click here to view ASH Warns Parcel Delivery Companies Against Delivering Illegally Purchased Cigarettes

Click here to view ASH Warns Credit Card Companies About Internet Tobacco Sales

Click here to view ASH Urges Attorneys General to Go After Illegal Cigarette Sales Online

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