For years, tobacco has collected a heavy and deadly toll on our people. We've fought hard over the past three years to make the tobacco giants pay for the damage they've done to our taxpayers and children. We brought the nation's strongest suit against Big Tobacco. We stood eyeball to eyeball with the cigarette giants - and they blinked. It's time for some pay back.
Today is the first of many pay days for our people from the settlement.
While money is important, our lawsuit was about more than dollars. We took tobacco to court to protect children's health, force the cigarette makers to tell the truth and recover comprehensive damages. No amount will ever replace the lives and repair the families destroyed by tobacco illness. These dollars are important to me because they'll provide us with the dollars to break tobacco's deadly cycle and reach out to kids to ensure they'll never light up. Teens are going to play a leading role in this effort to reach our kids and teach them that smoking kills.