Is our state spending enough to curtail smoking? A recent report says no.

A national Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids report criticized the states for not spending enough on tobacco prevention programs. Worse, the report says, prevention spending decreased by 15 percent last year.

Regardless, prevention groups are making a difference. It's good to see.

Like most states, South Dakota realizes significant revenue from tobacco. Each year more than $60 million is collected in sales tax revenue from cigarette and other tobacco sales - $30 million of that goes into the general fund, about $5 million goes to tobacco prevention efforts and the rest is dispersed elsewhere.

And in 2001, the state collected a lump sum of $278 million in tobacco settlement payments. The settlement money went into the Education Enhancement Trust, not toward tobacco prevention programs. Today, with that pot of money gone, tobacco prevention efforts are funded thanks to $5 million from the tobacco tax.

In a perfect world, the $278 million from the settlements would have been used for prevention. But those days are gone. Today's reality is $5 million a year for public education, a media campaign and the state Quit Line.

"We're making a huge difference in the lives of children," said Dr. Allen Nord, a Rapid City physician and member of the South Dakota Tobacco-Free Kids Network, who said teenage smoking has decreased from 40 percent to 24.7 percent in the past 10 years. "This money is saving lives."

Still, smoking was one of the state's top stories in 2009. The proposed public smoking ban ignited a heated confrontation between smoke-free groups and business groups not interested in going smoke free. It's safe to say, both sides put forth a 100 percent effort; the American Cancer Society even going so far as to suggest the smoking ban was a public health issue and therefore not for the voters to decide

It's regrettable the groups that were so passionate only months ago about the public smoking ban, now find a slowly decreasing teen tobacco prevention rate acceptable.

If 52 percent of what would be considered ideal prevention funding has dropped the rate of teen smokers 16 percent in a decade, imagine what 100 percent funding could do.

The Campaign for Tobacco Free kids report might find South Dakota is only spending half of what it should on prevention efforts, but the bigger picture is the state groups are spending what's available ... and they're doing a decent job with it.