Proponents of a 93-cents-a-pack cigarette tax increase rallied Wednesday at the State House, telling lawmakers the higher levy would decrease youth tobacco use by 21 percent.

Dr. Oscar Lovelace Jr. of Newberry told the 30 supporters that the state's 7-cents-a-pack tax is too low and is one reason 36 percent of S.C. teens smoke.

A plan for a cigarette tax increase had gained momentum in the past few years but has not been introduced this session. Supporters of a higher tax, part of the S.C. Tobacco Collaborative, want the extra money from the tax to go to higher funding for health care, specifically Medicaid.

The proposed tax increase likely would assist educators in keeping teens from lighting up while in school, officials said.

Horry County educators already target students to teach them about the dangers of smoking. That education intensifies during middle school, when they are more susceptible to such pressures, said Gail Moss, director of nursing for Horry County Schools.

A life-skills anti-tobacco program was adopted this year to educate students during their health curriculum about smoking illnesses and problems.

"If you get them at this young age, it's going to make a difference in their life forever," Moss said. "I think the life skills has been one of the curriculums that has been proven effective."

According to the American Lung Association, smoking-related diseases claim an estimated 430,700 American lives each year. Smoking costs the United States about $97.2 billion each year in health care and lost productivity. If state officials adopt the proposal for the tax increase to $1, it would put some flue-cured tobacco farmers out of business, said Jimmy Poston, president of the S.C. Tobacco Growers Association.

"I would truly think a dollar is a tremendous amount of money, and it's a lot more than tobacco farmers could bear," Poston said. "I don't see how we could take that hit even though we need more money to support health care."

Even though tobacco farmers are looking forward to a system without price supports thanks to the buyout late last year, the uncertainty of the market would not allow them to support any additional tax increases.

"Let's try to get a little bit from everywhere and not just look at tobacco," Poston said. "We pay taxes and support the system just like everybody else ... but a lot of us have been put out of business and more of us will probably be put out of business because of what has already happen to us."

Knight Ridder contributed to this report.