Attorney General Bonta Joins Bipartisan Letter to CDC and HHS Supporting Continuation of National Youth Tobacco Survey

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today joined a bipartisan coalition of 22 attorneys general in submitting a comment letter to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) supporting continuation of the National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS). The NYTS is an annual study that assesses smoking and vaping among middle and high school students. The survey provides valuable insight into youth tobacco use and emerging nicotine products and has shaped efforts led by state attorneys general to curb youth tobacco use for over two decades. NYTS data was the first national indicator of the youth e-cigarette epidemic. 

“Tobacco control efforts have long been a bipartisan priority, particularly when those efforts concern our youth, and rightfully so. Unfortunately, the Trump Administration has taken several actions that threaten to undo the progress we have made, such as eliminating the Office on Smoking and Health at the CDC,” said Attorney General Bonta. “I’m proud to join a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general in urging the Trump Administration to protect the National Youth Tobacco Survey. When it comes to informing our work to address youth tobacco use, this survey has been a tremendous asset to us all.”  

The comment letter is submitted in response to a CDC invitation for public comment on continuation of the NYTS. The CDC notes that it intends to make revisions to the 2026-2028 NYTS, but has yet to identify specific proposed changes. The CDC has recently eliminated its Office on Smoking and Health and has replaced leaders and cut staff at the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, which regulates the tobacco industry. The letter highlights the bipartisan work of attorneys general nationwide to address youth exposure to tobacco and nicotine products, and how NYTS data has informed and supported those critical efforts. 

In 1998, 52 state and territorial attorneys general entered into a settlement with the four largest tobacco companies in the United States to resolve dozens of lawsuits. Among other important objectives, attorneys general brought these lawsuits to recover billions of dollars in health care costs associated with treating smoking-related illnesses and to reduce and prevent smoking in the United States, especially among youth. The settlement, known as the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA), bars the tobacco companies from misleading the public regarding the negative health impacts of tobacco use and prohibits tobacco companies from targeting youth in advertising. The MSA further requires the attorneys general and the tobacco companies to meet every three years to coordinate efforts to reduce youth tobacco use, an effort that relies heavily on NYTS data. To date, the MSA has generated over $171 billion in ongoing payments from the tobacco companies to the states. 

In addition to the MSA tobacco settlement, attorneys general have undertaken several initiatives to limit youth exposure to tobacco and nicotine products. Attorney General Bonta remains committed to supporting, through the California Department of Justice’s Tobacco Grant Program, the statewide enforcement of the flavor ban and similar local flavor ordinances, as well as the continued crackdown on violations in state tobacco laws. Further, Attorney General Bonta has led lawsuits against companies illegally importing products from China and distributing them in California, such as Flum, as well as entities conducting illegal sales and marketing of tobacco products over the internet. In 2023, Attorney General Bonta secured a $462 million multistate settlement agreement with electronic cigarette maker, JUUL, Labs, Inc. (JUUL) and six other states. Of the $462 million settlement amount, California will receive a total of $175.8 million, the highest amount of any state settlement yet reached with JUUL. These funds are helping California fund research, education, and enforcement efforts related to e-cigarettes.

In submitting today’s letter, Attorney General Bonta is joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Puerto Rico.

A copy of the letter can be found here.