ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE PUBLISHES DIRECTORY OF LEGAL TOBACCO PRODUCTS

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. announced today that a directory listing tobacco products that may be lawfully stamped and sold in Maryland can now be viewed at the Office of the Attorney General Web site: www.oag.state.md.us/tobacco/statedirectory. Under a new law which became effective June 1, 2003, it is unlawful for tobacco product wholesalers and others to stamp and sell tobacco products in the State of Maryland, if the products are not registered and listed in the directory.

Licensed wholesalers and others who sell, distribute or import cigarettes and "roll-your-own" tobacco should review the Attorney General's directory frequently to ensure that the tobacco products they possess or are considering possessing may be lawfully sold, possessed or distributed in the State of Maryland.

#