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Tobacco Product Compliance

DO NOT SELL THESE CIGARETTES IN NEW MEXICO

These Brands/Families
are non-compliant
with New Mexico Statute.

Seneca
Opal
A-One
Arrow
D’Best
Decade
Desert Sun
Diamond Diamond
Double Diamond
Kingsley
Lakes
Marathon
Mega
Miss Diamond
Rogers
Sher Bidi
Signal
Stars & Stripes
Unify
Unity
Yukon

THIS IS NOT A COMPLETE LIST – PLEASE CHECK OUR DIRECTORY  IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.

LICENSED DISTRIBUTORS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO SELL ANY CIGARETTES THAT ARE NOT LISTED ON THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S DIRECTORY.
updated May 21, 2009

NM Law forbids the sale of Kreteks or any clove content cigarettes.

In November 1998, four of the major tobacco manufacturers, Philip Morris, RJ Reynolds, Brown & Williamson and Lorillard, settled lawsuits filed by New Mexico, 45 other states, the District of Columbia, and five United States Territories by agreeing to enumerated prohibitions and other restrictions on the marketing and advertising of their tobacco products and to compensate the States for costs associated with health care problems attributable to the use of the companies’ tobacco products. This agreement is known as the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement or “MSA”. Since the MSA was first executed over forty tobacco product manufacturers have joined the agreement.

As a corollary to the MSA, the State of New Mexico has enacted laws that impact on tobacco product manufacturers who intend to sell their product in New Mexico. One statute is located at NMSA 1978, §§ 6-4-12 &13(1999) and is commonly known as the Model Escrow Statute. The tobacco Model Escrow Statute requires a tobacco product manufacturer (which term is defined in the statute and in general includes fabricators or first line importers of cigarettes and roll-your-own cigarette tobacco), who sell product in New Mexico, to either become a participant of the MSA and comply with its terms or to establish an escrow account to the satisfaction of the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General (“AGO”) and to pay into said escrow account in accord with Section 6-4-13 as a “non-participating manufacturer”. A failure on the part of a tobacco product manufacturer selling its product in New Mexico to abide by the tobacco Model Escrow Statute will expose that tobacco product manufacturer to civil penalties and other sanctions.

Additionally, the New Mexico Legislature recently passed and the Governor signed into law another statute to complement the tobacco Model Escrow Statute, which complementary legislation can be found at NMSA 1978, Sections 6-4-14 -6-4-24 (the Tobacco Escrow Fund Act)(the “Act”). Under the Act, among other things, all tobacco product manufacturers who intend to sell their tobacco product in New Mexico are obligated to first qualify for inclusion in a Directory established by the AGO, which Directory contains the brand names and families of tobacco products that are compliant with the tobacco Model Escrow Statute and the Act. Only brand names and families in the Directory may be sold in New Mexico. A brand of tobacco product not included in the Directory is considered contraband and subjects its manufacturer to civil penalties and other sanctions and the product to seizure.

Tobacco Manufacturers Directory

Complimentary Legislation Compliance Form (PDF)
Instructions for Complimentary Legislation Compliance Form (PDF)

Escrow Deposit Certificate Form - Quarterly (PDF)
Escrow Deposit Certificate Form - Annual (PDF)

Quarterly Escrow Certification must be used unless written permission has been received by the NM Attorney General that the quarterly requirement of reporting and payment has been waived for your company.

NPM SUPP. A. - Non-Participating Manufacturer’s Sales Information (PDF)

Notice of Pending Litigation

If you have questions, additions, or changes regarding the lists of tobacco product manufacturers, please contact:

Claudia Ravanelli at crav...(click to show)...@nmag.gov