Fining teen smokers may help, but a higher cigarette tax would be a greater smoking deterrent.

Gov. Mark Sanford and state lawmakers recently took a small step toward reducing teen smoking in this state. A new law will fine teens for the possession of tobacco.

That should be a deterrent to smoking, although a higher cigarette tax would have been far more effective. State lawmakers still should pursue a higher tobacco tax.

The law approved by legislators raises penalties for store clerks who sell cigarettes to minors and makes it against the law for minors to possess tobacco. The police would notify parents, and minors would face a $25 fine and could be ordered to perform five hours of community service. The new law also places some limits on the location of cigarette vending machines.

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A fine for tobacco possession by minors was appropriate: Already it was against the law for clerks to sell tobacco to minors. It was inconsistent, then, that there was no law actually banning tobacco possession by minors. The new law sends a message that "young people should be responsible for their actions," said Carol Reeves, of the South Carolina Tobacco Collaborative, a coalition of health-care groups.

But Reeves and other anti-smoking advocates worry that the new law, while worthwhile, will "not be a major deterrent." Anti-smoking advocates believe that a higher cigarette tax would be a much greater deterrent to smoking. Teens simply wouldn't have the money to spend on cigarettes. As Reeves said: "There's a breaking point at which they just won't pay the price." She offers an example: If teens have a choice between cigarettes or a movie, they'll choose a movie.

A problem, as Reeves said, is that there's "no real champion" among state lawmakers to lead the charge for a higher cigarette tax. Such is the state of politics in South Carolina.

More anti-smoking programs aimed at young people also would help discourage smoking. The state recently earned an "F" in an anti-smoking study -- in part for its lack of state funding for smoking prevention programs.

Currently, almost 25 percent of South Carolina high school students smoke. About 8,100 kids in South Carolina become new smokers every year.

South Carolina's tax on cigarettes, at 7 cents, remains the lowest in the nation. The national average is 92 cents a pack. The state loses 5,900 lives to smoking-related illnesses each year, according to the Tobacco Collaborative.