Tobacco Companies To Pay Pa. Farmers $11 Million

Source from:  cbs3.com (AP) LANCASTER, Pa. 08/23/2007

Tobacco companies have been ordered to pay Pennsylvania farmers $11 million. The order comes under the 1999 Master Settlement Agreement that was created to compensate states for tobacco-related health care costs. The companies -- Philip Morris, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company and Lorillard Tobacco -- are expected to appeal, but a spokeswoman for Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett says the ruling is a windfall, for Lancaster County in particular. Lancaster County has about 4,000 acres of tobacco, 90 percent of the tobacco grown in the state. Jeff Graybill of the Penn State Cooperative Extension of Lancaster County says the ruling could affect 50 to 60 Lancaster County growers of burley tobacco used in cigarettes. Enditem