Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford has joined a bipartisan group of 22 attorneys general in submitting a letter to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The coalition supports continuing the National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), an annual study that tracks smoking and vaping among middle and high school students.
“In order to effectively combat youth tobacco use, we must have access to clear and concise data,” said AG Ford. "We have to know where to focus our efforts to ensure our children stay away from smoking and vaping, and the NYTS is a valuable resource to help our agency and others around the country target the right areas to curb youth tobacco use. This data helps us protect Nevada’s children, and I strongly urge the CDC to continue the program.”
The letter was sent on August 15 following a CDC request for public comment about whether the NYTS should continue. The CDC has announced plans for revisions in future surveys but has not detailed specific changes. Recent organizational shifts at both the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health and staffing reductions at the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products were also noted.
The attorneys general’s letter describes how NYTS data has supported national efforts against youth exposure to tobacco products. Since 1998, when 52 state and territorial attorneys general reached a settlement with four major tobacco companies—known as the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA)—states have relied on this survey data. The MSA restricts advertising targeting young people, requires regular coordination between states and tobacco companies, and has provided more than $171 billion in payments from tobacco firms to states over time.
Other actions by attorneys general include legal action against manufacturers who violate MSA provisions designed to protect youth, advocacy aimed at reducing depictions of tobacco use in media consumed by minors, agreements with retailers limiting product accessibility for young people, and enforcement of state-specific laws regulating tobacco sales.
In Nevada specifically, the Attorney General’s Tobacco Enforcement Unit conducts outreach programs with retailers and performs random compliance checks related to age restrictions on sales of tobacco or nicotine products. During the 2023 legislative session, AG Ford sponsored legislation raising penalties for businesses whose employees sell these products unlawfully; fines now range from $2,500 for a first offense up to $10,000 for repeated violations.
By signing this recent letter, AG Ford joins counterparts from Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington State, West Virginia and Puerto Rico.