A group of 30 states and Lorillard Tobacco Co. have inked an agreement aimed at preventing Internet and mail-order sales of cigarettes to minors, the Boston Globe reported July 10.

The tobacco company agreed to stop shipping cigarettes directly to customers found to have engaged in illegal sales and to suspend promotions with sellers who violate the law. "We believe that these measures will assist our active efforts to combat counterfeit product sales and will help us and our customers to comply with the laws and regulations intended to stop sales to and consumption of our products by youth," a Lorillard spokesman said.

"We applaud Lorillard for joining with the law-enforcement community in taking these steps to prevent illegal trafficking over the Internet," said a spokeswoman for New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer.

The states are also pursuing similar deals with other tobacco companies. Taking part in the Lorillard agreement were Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Northern Mariana Islands, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.