August 3, 1999
Attorny General Patricia Madrid
attn: Mr. Glenn Smith
Office of the Attorney General of New Mexico
P.O. Box Drawer 1508
Santa Fe, NM 87504-1508
Dear Mr. Smith:
I wanted to follow up with you regarding the Brown & Williamson violation
of the billboard advertising provision included within the Master Settlement
Agreement.
I noticed last night they have pulled the advertising from the billboard. I
want to thank you so very much for your help on this issue.
Now, I must ask another favor of you. The billboard was in direct violation
of the MSA. This is now clear. They displayed the advertising for approximately
six weeks. There must be a penalty for this violation. I suggest a two-for-one
payback.
We request, therefore, the use of the billboard for the purposes of counter
tobacco advertising for a period of 12 weeks.
I ask that our organization in association with the NM Department of Health
be allowed to use the billboard from September 1 through November 30, 1999. We might
be able to begin earlier, but I feel that the paperwork around such an agreement
will take some time.
As you may be aware, our organization did not (and does not) support the
MSA. It was a hasty decision. There are a number of provisions that make the settlement
a disaster for tobacco control advocates. We must therefore be able to enforce the
existing provisions. We also must be able to demand compensation for violations.
I believe my request is a fair solution to this problem.
Thanks in advance for your help and interest in this matter. I would love to hear
how your office plans to respond. I will update our Web page with the latest
information.
Again, the URL is:
Brown & Williamson violation.
Thanks in advance for you help and interest in this matter.
Sincerely,
Scott Goold, Director
Citizens for Clean Air in Apartments