N.M. Stat. § 6-4-12 (2026)

As used in Sections 6-4-12 and 6-4-13 NMSA 1978:

    A. "adjusted for inflation" means increased in accordance with the formula for
inflation adjustment set forth in Exhibit C to the master settlement agreement;

    B. "affiliate" means a person who directly or indirectly owns or controls, is owned or
controlled by, or is under common ownership or control with, another person. Solely for
purposes of this definition, the terms "owns", "is owned" and "ownership" mean
ownership of an equity interest, or the equivalent thereof, of ten percent or more, and
the term "person" means an individual, partnership, committee, association, corporation
or any other organization or group of persons;

    C. "allocable share" means Allocable Share as that term is defined in the master
settlement agreement;

   D. "cigarette" means any product that contains nicotine, is intended to be burned or
heated under ordinary conditions of use, and consists of or contains:
      (1)     any roll of tobacco wrapped in paper or in any substance not containing
tobacco;

       (2)    tobacco, in any form, that is functional in the product, which, because of its
appearance, the type of tobacco used in the filler, or its packaging and labeling, is likely
to be offered to, or purchased by, consumers as a cigarette; or

       (3)      any roll of tobacco wrapped in any substance containing tobacco which,
because of its appearance, the type of tobacco used in the filler, or its packaging and
labeling, is likely to be offered to, or purchased by, consumers as a cigarette described
in Paragraph (1) of this subsection. The term "cigarette" includes "roll-your-own" (i.e.,
any tobacco which, because of its appearance, type, packaging, or labeling is suitable
for use and likely to be offered to, or purchased by, consumers as tobacco for making
cigarettes). For purposes of this definition of "cigarette", 0.09 ounces of "roll-your-own"
tobacco shall constitute one individual "cigarette";

   E. "master settlement agreement" means the settlement agreement (and related
documents) entered into on November 23, 1998 by the state and leading United States
tobacco product manufacturers;

    F. "qualified escrow fund" means an escrow arrangement with a federally or state
chartered financial institution having no affiliation with any tobacco product
manufacturer and having assets of at least one billion dollars ($1,000,000,000) where
such arrangement requires that such financial institution hold the escrowed funds'
principal for the benefit of releasing parties and prohibits the tobacco product
manufacturer placing the funds into escrow from using, accessing or directing the use of
the funds' principal except as consistent with Subsection B of Section 6-4-13 NMSA
1978;

    G. "released claims" means Released Claims as that term is defined in the master
settlement agreement;

    H. "releasing parties" means Releasing Parties as that term is defined in the master
settlement agreement;

    I. "tobacco product manufacturer" means an entity that after the date of enactment
of this act directly (and not exclusively through any affiliate):

       (1)    manufactures cigarettes anywhere that such manufacturer intends to be
sold in the United States, including cigarettes intended to be sold in the United States
through an importer (except where such importer is an original participating
manufacturer (as that term is defined in the master settlement agreement) that will be
responsible for the payments under the master settlement agreement with respect to
such cigarettes as a result of the provisions of subsection II(mm) of the master
settlement agreement and that pays the taxes specified in subsection II(z) of the master
settlement agreement, and provided that the manufacturer of such cigarettes does not
market or advertise such cigarettes in the United States);

       (2)  is the first purchaser anywhere for resale in the United States of cigarettes
manufactured anywhere that the manufacturer does not intend to be sold in the United
States; or

      (3)   becomes a successor of an entity described in Paragraph (1) or (2) of this
subsection.

    The term "tobacco product manufacturer" shall not include an affiliate of a tobacco
product manufacturer unless such affiliate itself falls within Paragraph (1), (2) or (3) of
this subsection; and

    J. "units sold" means the number of individual cigarettes sold in the state by the
applicable tobacco product manufacturer (whether directly or through a distributor,
retailer or similar intermediary or intermediaries) during the year in question, as
measured by excise taxes collected, ounces of "roll-your-own" tobacco sold and sales
of products bearing tax-exempt stamps on packs or "roll-your-own" tobacco containers.
The secretary of taxation and revenue shall promulgate such rules as are necessary to
ascertain the amount of state excise tax paid on the cigarettes of such tobacco product
manufacturer for each year.

History: Laws 1999, ch. 208, § 1; 2009, ch. 197, § 1.

                                      ANNOTATIONS

The 2009 amendment, effective July 1, 2009, changed the reference of the act to
Sections 6-4-12 and 6-4-13 NMSA 1978; in Subsection D(3), changed the reference
from "clause (1) of this definition" to "Paragraph (1) of this subsection"; and in
Subsection J, after "excise taxes collected", deleted "by the state on packs (or "roll-your-
own" tobacco containers) bearing the excise tax stamp of the state" and added "ounces
of "roll-your-own" tobacco sold and sales of products bearing tax-exempt stamps on
packs or "roll-your-own" tobacco containers".