Congratulations to the state of South Dakota for the huge strides it has made recently in efforts to protect kids from tobacco use.

A coalition of public health organizations praised the state last month for increasing its spending on tobacco prevention programs to $5 million per year. That dollar amount puts South Dakota 20th in the nation in funding programs that educate kids and others about the dangers of smoking.

We've shown great improvement in funding those efforts in the last year, mostly because of a new state cigarette tax of $1 per pack that was approved by voters in 2006. Before that tax went into effect, South Dakota spent just $707,000 and ranked 40th in the nation.

According to the report, "A Broken Promise to Our Children" released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and American Lung Association, almost every state is woefully under-funding the fight against cigarettes and other forms of tobacco nine years after the 1998 state tobacco settlement. South Dakota is among them.

South Dakota this year will collect $100.4 million from that tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend just 5 percent of it on tobacco prevention. By contrast, tobacco companies spend more than $37 million a year on marketing in South Dakota, seven times what the state spends on tobacco prevention.

Nationally, the smoking rate among high school students is 23 percent, but here in South Dakota, 28.2 percent of high school students smoke. More than 1,300 kids become regular smokers every year in this state, where tobacco use claims 1,100 lives annually and costs the state $274 million in health care bills.

Only three states - Maine, Delaware and Colorado - currently fund tobacco prevention programs at minimum levels recommended by the Centers for Disease Control.

We've made significant progress in the fight against tobacco use this past year, and it is critical that public health leaders here continue to build on that progress in the coming years to saves lives and health care dollars. Turning the teen-smoking situation around in South Dakota will take time, patience and more money.

Wouldn't it be great to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the tobacco settlement in 2008 by adding South Dakota to the list of states that are fully funding that CDC mandate?