Lawmakers should spend more on antismoking efforts aimed at teens and raise cigarette taxes.

South Carolina does a horrible job of trying to keep young people away from tobacco. With few programs to discourage tobacco use, thousands of South Carolina's young people are recklessly taking up smoking every year.

They're on a path that can lead to debilitating health problems later and even early death. In addition, there will be substantial health-care costs for the state.

South Carolina is one of the five worst states in the nation on spending for antismoking efforts, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Perhaps as a result of that, the smoking rate among teens in this state is 10 percent above the national average. Almost 25 percent of high school students in South Carolina smoke, according to the campaign.

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About 8,100 kids become new smokers every year. If things remain unchanged, the campaign predicts that 98,100 children now under 18 could ultimately die from smoking.

Why do state lawmakers allow this to continue? It's hard to fathom.

State lawmakers could both raise the cigarette tax and spend substantially more money on anti-smoking programs. They've refused to do either.

South Carolina has the shameful distinction of having the lowest cigarette tax in the nation -- 7 cents. Higher cigarette taxes throughout the nation have proven to reduce smoking by teenagers. That's why so many states in recent years have raised cigarette taxes.

Wealthy tobacco interests wield substantial power in this state. It's galling that 15 percent of the 1998 tobacco settlement money was not spent on anti-smoking efforts but handed over to tobacco farmers.

State lawmakers also have an aversion to raising taxes, but South Carolinians have expressed support for increasing targeted taxes, including the cigarette tax. If concern for children doesn't resonate with lawmakers, perhaps the cost of providing health care for smokers eventually will raise alarm. The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids says smoking costs South Carolina more than $1 billion a year to pay for related health-care costs. More than $360 million of that cost is borne by Medicaid. Smoking also takes a huge toll on the economy in lower productivity and missed days at work.