Jump to full article: Sioux Falls (SD) Argus-Leader, 2010-03-10
Author: Dr. Thomas J. Huber
Intro: In 2006, South Dakota voters approved an initiative to increase the cigarette tax by $1 per pack and to dedicate $5 million annually to help smokers quit and prevent kids from starting smoking.
The results of consistent funding have been remarkable. South Dakota's youth smoking has declined from 44 percent in 1999 to 27 percent today, and there still is much work to do . . .
But that progress and South Dakota's Tobacco Prevention and Reduction Trust Fund are at risk.
Lawmakers in Pierre are considering removing $1 million to all $5 million from the tobacco-control program to further feed the general fund. . . .
South Dakotans made it clear in 2006. They understood consistent investment in reducing tobacco use would result in consistent returns in dollars and lives saved. . . .
On behalf of the South Dakota State Medical Association and the South Dakota Tobacco-Free Kids Network, I urge our lawmakers to preserve the program's full funding and to remember that any short-term financial gain can result in long-term financial and human losses.
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