I just think it's an ounce of prevention. It's not that much money and it would be peace of mind for people. Three hundred dollars versus everything that you own. Who wants to risk that?

For smaller businesses, their budgets are often so tight that they're really fretful about putting money into prevention because they're not sure it's a tangible investment for them.

We're spending more and more money with fewer results.

In my mind, the core issue has always been prevention. My views were shaped by my experiences with women who were managing and coping with unintended pregnancies and unwanted children.

North Dakota spends zero dollars on alcohol prevention. The money comes from the federal government and is funneled through various state agencies. Those federal dollars are increasingly in short supply.

The intent of that money was to provide funds for prevention, treatment, education and cessation programs. And that clearly did not happen in South Carolina. We're ranked 51st in funding for these programs and 51st in (cigarette) tax. The state is doing next to nothing.