Utah settles with tobacco company

A tobacco company has signed a deal with Utah and 41 other states that stops the cigarette maker from putting its brand name on merchandise.

Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co., the maker of Natural American Spirit cigarettes, agreed not to distribute its name on signs, CDs, DVDs, video games, clothing and other items. The Utah Attorney General's Office said the company sent consumers decorative tin signs for Natural American Spirit, in violation of a 1998 settlement between tobacco companies and states that sued them. Future violations could lead to a penalty of $250 per incident, the attorney general's office said.

"A tin sign may seem like a small matter but Utah stands to lose millions of dollars if the (Master Settlement Agreement) is not vigorously enforced," Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said in a statement today.

— Ben Winslow