There's not much evidence that police are enforcing a new law aimed at deterring teen tobacco use. The new law that made possession of tobacco illegal by anyone under 18 went into effect Aug. 21, but as of last week no fines have been issued yet by the Greenville Police Department or Greenville Sheriff's Office.

Greenville students caught smoking on campus are now referred to school police officers, according to a recent story by Greenville News writer Tim Smith. But at some point students will have to face fines for this law to be effective.

Anti-smoking advocates, while generally supportive of the ban on tobacco possession by minors, warned that the law would not be a very strong smoking deterrent. They point out that a higher cigarette tax would go much further toward reducing this state's high rate of teen smoking. That point can't be made often enough.

That's not to say that the new law against tobacco possession can't help. It can. Offenders face a $25 fine, a mandatory anti-smoking program or five hours of community service.

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Already it was against state law for clerks to sell tobacco to minors. It made sense to hold minors also accountable for possession. Anti-tobacco advocates believe it's appropriate to send a message that teens will be held responsible for their actions.

A higher cigarette tax, however, would be a better deterrent. Research shows higher cigarette taxes have a real effect on smoking rates among teens -- a 10 percent increase in the price leads to a 7 percent decrease in smoking.

Twenty-five percent of South Carolina's high school students smoke -- about 3 percentage points higher than the national average -- and 8,100 young people in this state become smokers every year.

Currently, South Carolina's tax on cigarettes -- 7 cents -- is the lowest in the nation. The national average is 92 cents a pack. In addition, almost no state money is set aside for smoking prevention.

An estimated 5,900 adults in the state die each year from smoking, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. The group projects that 98,100 smokers in the state who are now under the age of 18 eventually will die from using tobacco.

The law making tobacco possession by minors illegal was one small component in the overall anti-smoking effort. But the Legislature could take a much larger step toward reducing smoking by finding the courage to raise cigarette taxes.

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