Tobacco Settlement Wasted?

Most of the billions of dollars that began flowing from cigarette makers to the states a decade ago, in a landmark legal settlement, have been spent on things that have nothing to do with public health or smoking. Even once falling teen smoking rates have stagnated. So how was it spent?

Out of the $615 billion divided among 46 states between 2000 and 2006, only 30 percent was spent on health care. This is according to federal Government Accountability Office data analyzed by The Associated Press. Less than 4 percent went to anti-smoking efforts. The states defend the many ways they have spent their tobacco money, which, by the way, is still being paid out in annual installments and is expected to total $294 billion over 25 years in today's dollars. I think the problem was that no strings were attached to the settlement reached on Nov. 23, 1998, and that anti-smoking campaigns do not cost billions. I think the whole thing stinks.